Innocent White
by Ichinomiya Kantarou
Summary: Kantarou and Haruka's relationship will be put to a test by a certain youkai...what kind of test? Find out for youself...Kantarou x Haruka
1. Reverie

**Disclaimer:** _I do not own Tactics or its characters for that matter. I am simply borrowing them to voice out my opinion with regards to their pairing. Ok let's not get too serious here, but you get what I mean, Ichinomiya Kantarou is not mine, I just borrowed his name to serve as my pen name…sniff sniff…I just love him…same goes with Haruka…_

**Chapter 1: Reverie**

A rather drowsy folklorist continued to scribble down messily in a rapid pace, his mind unfocused, his head threatened to fall down and hit the hard concrete of which is the wooden desk, which might come in handy considering this young silver-haired lad was slacking off in the middle of working. It would do him good for the desk to remind him to work double time.

Ichinomiya Kantarou, if not often feeling moody, lazy, disoriented or just plain naughty, would naturally make up all sorts of alibis just so he could evade Reiko as he was beginning to see her as the quintessence of his mountainous pile of paper work which if not immediately taken care of, might lead to their poverty once and for all. Not that they can still be considered belonging to the middle class. Ask him just how much he is earning and that would explain it. In short, yes they are quite poor.

All the more reason for Ichinomiya-sensei to strive harder, now is definitely not the time to mourn and to get himself depressed. As you would all know, Suzu's death pretty much left a huge and devastating blow on Kantarou, especially to Youko, the ever reliable and hard-working fox demon who was the one among them who got really attached to Suzu, and even to the famous ogre-eating Tengu, Haruka as well. So it was quite understandable that the folklorist remained under the period of lamentation. But no! Unreasonable still! He'll have to work his butt, err , his brain rather, if he don't want themselves to be lamented for next! And really, starvation is, and will always be, a pitiful way to die, for someone like Kantarou and definitely to the mighty ogre-eating Tengu.

But for some reason, something seemed to be keeping Kantarou from regaining his usual cheery and easygoing mood. Suzu's death was only a quarter of whatever that was keeping him in that disadvantageous state. Sigh, you'll never guess.

From the moment the silver-haired lad laid his liquid auburn eyes on the sophisticated-looking yet delicate black-winged tengu, Kantarou immediately felt the spark, the connection, the yearning, the desire. The feeling it brought about was beyond words, simply inexplicable, but he knew it, this meeting with Haruka will make a humongous impact on his life, so large that even he will be affected. He knew, the minute he had named the legendary tengu himself, Haruka will become his friend, his companion, his partner, forever, until his very last breath. And just how long could a human being's life span last?

With these thoughts swimming in the folklorist's head, he was further stirred away from reality as he felt himself drifting back to that moment. His friend…Haruka…his servant…Haruka…his companion…Haruka…his…Is Haruka really his? His property? No, Kantarou wouldn't want to think of him that way. Despite knowing that he, as their master, indeed has the authority over all the youkai he had named, this amiable spiritualist isn't the type to abuse such power. After all, he wasn't planning on collecting hundreds and thousands of youkai just to form an army of his own to do his bidding, like make him the ruler of the world perhaps, or other more selfishly desires, but rather, to befriend them and to understand them.

As a boy who grew up alone without so much as of a loving and caring family, he thought of compensating it by befriending monsters instead, since they are pretty harmless actually. From them he found his home, comfort, refuge, and simply put, acceptance, that he never gained in the prejudiced society he was living at. And for that, hurting Haruka or mistreating him, would be the last thing Kantarou will ever have the guts to do.

That is why, Haruka wouldn't ever be considered as a mere property or servant or even slave by Kantarou, the master himself. He was more of a family for the loner silver-haired lad, a family that he never got. However, he as the master, should still try to discipline his servants and make sure they will obey him somehow, ensure their loyalty, earn their respect, along with their trust, and eventually, their love.

Love. It left a pretty big mark on the folklorist's mind. If you think about it, you wouldn't need to doubt Youko's love for her master as was made evident by her constant signs of anxiety whenever her master seemed to be taking a long time in dealing with some pesky harmful demon upon the request of clients, which is another way for them to gain money. A rather interesting sideline I must say, ghost busting.

Moving on, Haruka on the contrary, can be quite unstable at times. His loyalty remained questionable as he preferred to keep himself in the dark. He was rather quiet, not at all talkative, not revealing his emotions, and sometimes he gets pretty stubborn as well. And somehow, this left Kantarou feeling quite insecure, afraid that he might wake up one day to find Haruka's glittering room full of sparkling anything, empty. But wait, there's more! Only to discover the black-winged tengu resting on the roof, as usual. Whew… What do you expect? Of course after all they've been through? Haruka wouldn't dare desert his master! Besides, they already settled that before, or have they really?

Let's not be so harsh on the stoic ogre-eating tengu who came to love wearing western suits and to adore anything that sparkles, shines, glitters or, you get the point, since he too, have proven his loyalty and concern for Kantarou. It's evident from the way he gets so alarmed whenever the silver-haired folklorist falls on his knees, clutching his aching chest and gasping in agony, with a little worried "Kantarou!" here and "Kantarou!" there, but is that enough? Who knows if maybe the reason for showing such emotion is because he was more concerned with the size and power of the youkai with which they were about to confront with, rather than in Kantarou's physical condition?

Kantarou's liquid auburn eyes slowly opened wide, surpassing its usual size during his carefree state, upon dwelling in those thoughts. No, he refused to accept that Haruka cared very little for him. If that is so, Kantarou wouldn't be able to stand it! Haruka must somehow reciprocate his--his--

The folklorist's thoughts trailed off as he struggled to think of the right term. Concern? No, too mild. Brotherly affection? Definitely not, it's weird to even think of him as such when their age gap is like, eons. So maybe friendship then? Not either. Kantarou wouldn't want to put a dot on their blossoming relationship when it can still improve into something deeper. So what's left? Love perhaps?

_Love? Hey where did that come from? No way would I engage myself in an illicit relationship as a product of homosexuality!_

_Baka! Who told you to be his lover? You might want to try pouring some muriatic acid on your mind to purify it once and for all! Such malicious way of thinking!_

Kantarou slumped on his sitting position, his chin hitting the wooden desk hard. That ought to shake away indecent thoughts out of his brain! What a shame! After managing to recover, he noticed beads of perspiration had already formed on his forehead and even on his nose. That has got to indicate something, hasn't it?

"Kan-chan! You better work faster! Reiko-san will be arriving any minute now! Prepare youself!" came Youko's usual high-pitched voice to warn him, distracting and relieving him at the same time. So much for him and his silly reverie. Time to face the witch (Reiko?A witch?) and to continue daydreaming some other time. Besides, he'll have plenty of time to contemplate and dream of Haruka later, when he sleeps. Good gracious! What was that? D-dream of Haruka? Not again!

Now that's embarrassing. Luckily, no one else was present in this room to witness his intensely blushing face, that his nose and ears practically released steam! What a funny and unusual sight!

"Muu…Muuu…"

Or maybe not. Something rather, was there to witness Kantarou's embarrassing moment. At the sound of the all-too familiar voice, the folklorist's head jerked up until he finally found the source of the noise. Oh, on a typical hot summer day, a typical frequent visitor arrived unannounced, no surprise there, happens almost everyday.

"Moo-chan? What are you doing here? Sugino might blame me again once he finds out you've snuck in here again."

The little green thing, with its perfectly round head and round eyes, stared up at him. It gave Kantarou an eerie feeling that the youkai wanted to tell him something of great importance.

"Muu…Muuuu…Muuuu!!" It was flailing its little arms wildly that it lost its balance and fell to the ground. For a moment, silence prevailed to allow Kantarou to interpret the youkai's message.

"He appears to be describing something big….something dangerous…and…oh darn I wonder what does he mean? I should've just called Haruka over, he's good at guessing in charades…"

The silver-haired lad was unable to finish his thoughts as Moo-chan abruptly stood on his feet and leaped out through the windows.

"Hey where are you going! Chotto matte yo Muu-chan!"

At that same instance, Youko suddenly opened the sliding door of Kantarou's room, not bothering to knock. She looked quite frantic.

"Kan-chan! Do something! Sugino-sama is…is causing a ruckus up there! He was demanding for Moo-chan even after telling him she was not here. But he—"

"Youko-chan take me to him now."

"B-but your work—you have to finish—Reiko-san will—"

"No worries, I'm almost finished. But before anything else, Sugino should be dealt with first. That psychotic white-winged tengu must be put to silence. He's disturbing the entire neighborhood not to mention probably pestering Haruka!"

The two proceeded outside and into the roof, to deal with the said nuisance. Unbeknownst to the innocent folklorist, Youko was having ideas about him and Haruka in her mind. But knowing Haruka, she wouldn't dare blurt it out for fear of receiving a death glare.

"Anything for Haruka-chan, ne Kan-chan?"

Fortunately, Kantarou wasn't given the chance to reply as they already reached outside and was about to climb the ladder up. And well, as expected, Sugino, the white-winged one, was doing his exaggerated and annoying soliloquy again. About what else? Moo-chan being abducted by his claim-to-be wife-stealer Kantarou, with Haruka continuing to ignore him, eyes closed and head resting on his arms as he lay on his back, facing the skies. It was around lunch time by then. It was a wonder the ogre-eating tengu doesn't mind lying under the intense heat of the sun. Perhaps sun bathing appeals to him?

"Haruka, let's get down now and have lunch. Besides, this heat wouldn't do you good either, unless you want to end up being barbequed." Kantarou greeted cheerfully as soon as he had reached the top of the ladder. Youko only shook her head as she remained standing below. And there she thought his master would try and dispose of Sugino.

"You-you wife-stealer! What spell have you used this time to magnet my Moo-chan? Where is she?" Sugino yelled, his teeth gritted, his eyes narrowing into slits. Ooh how frightening…

"S-Sugino, no need to yell, I'm only inches away from you. And about Moo-chan, how many times do I have to make it clear to you, she's always coming here of her own accord. Oh and by the way, she just went out by the window of my room awhile ago, you might want to go after her."

Upon Kantarou's mentioning of Moo-chan's whereabouts, Sugino wasted no time to search for his 'wife'. Now that left Kantarou and Haruka finally. Just the two of them alone again, after such a long time that it made the silver-haired lad feel nervous about it.

"Was that a lie to merely get him to leave so you could have me all to yourself?"

Kantarou practically jumped, obviously stung by the sudden unexpected question. Luckily he found his voice to answer.

"Is that bad?" was his soft reply, sad auburn eyes lowered its gaze to the ground, which is the roof.

"Indeed."

Haruka remained in his position, without the least bit of intention to move or even to open his eyes. But upon hearing Kantarou's heavy sigh, he continued. "I meant it was bad if the first part was a lie. You wouldn't want to try and misdirect Sugino."

That made Kantarou light up a bit. With the usual cheery and radiant smile, he spoke: "It wasn't a lie, Moo-chan indeed paid me an unannounced visit awhile ago, well not that they ever come here announced…b-but I was meaning to ask if having you all to myself is—"

"Kan-chan! It's past lunch time already! You might want to get down here now and eat! Skipping meals is not proper just because you don't like what food we have here now, which is your fault since—oh don't get me started! Just tell Haruka-chan to come down here too!"

Oh the moment was ruined. Gomen Kantarou, you'll be given another chance to have a heart to heart talk with Haruka some other time anyway, so just be patient.

The folklorist's radiant face vanished as quickly as it came to be replaced by a gloomy and zombie-like frown which made him look all the more funny than he already is.(Kawaii Kan-chan!) And so with a heavy heart, he dragged himself to the ladder to descend, while Haruka made use of his black wings to lower himself on the ground, which made him land first.

"Hey no fair! You could've carried me with you! Why won't you share the pleasure of having wings with me? You're stingy, you know that?" Kantarou pouted, giving the ogre-eating tengu an accusing look to somehow make him guilty. But it's useless of course.

"You have your feet and they're working just perfectly, not to mention you have the ladder over there. Don't be such a sloth and make use of your resources well before they disappear. Really Kantarou, you and your rotten tactics."

"Haruka! That was rather a mean thing to say!"

And with that, Kantarou continued to act all sulky, practically sinking to the ground just to get Haruka's evasive attention, while the latter just went on ignoring him. Youko could only watch as she gave her master a faint sympathetic smile.

Somewhere not far from the Ichinomiya residence, a dark figure stood unnoticed, remaining inconspicuous though misplaced. It was watching the 3 oblivious people inside the house; it has its eyes particularly to the silver-haired lad and the handsome ebony-haired man who had just revealed his black wings earlier.

"Oh this is going to be lots of fun! I can hardly wait to meet you…"

It smiled, revealing no teeth but just abyss, endless and hollow.

**Author's Note**: _Greetings everyone! Please review if you had fun reading and I hope you do because I'm not taking no for an answer…(LOL)…Anyways, please voice out your violent reactions if there's any, (which I hope there aren't) regarding the characters and of the descriptions I used to them like the color of their eyes, hair, etc. etc…and also with their behavior…Feel free to correct me if I got them wrong. Again suggestions are very much welcomed and will greatly be appreciated. I also encourage everyone to continue reading, I assure you this fanfic has plenty of good stuffs in it. But sad to say, I'm not really in favor of two-males-kissing-hot-and-passionately and those kinds of things, it just makes me puke! Embraces and hugs won't hurt but the aforementioned display of affection, it's just way too extreme and well…it is definitely not acceptable, that's it for me. So if any of you are expecting for that to happen in this fic, sad to say, it won't. Not ever. So there just to make things clear. So much for the LONG author's note, I'll end it here. Hopefully, I'll receive feedbacks and reviews soon enough, thanks! (Do I still have to mention this is the first time for me to write a Tactics fanfic? Well now you know…)_

**P.S**._ I wish for Kantarou and Haruka's relationship to be of pure love and not tainted by pure lust. I also don't want to write an erotic fic, never. I'm just too innocent for that! (lol) But I do love shounen ai though…ja ne!_


	2. Contact

**AN:** _Greetings once again people! This chapter has plenty of Kantarou Haruka interactions so I hope you'll have fun reading! Please if there are any confusing arts or some parts that you just can't accept, tell me right away! I'd greatly hear out either praises or criticisms ( not that I am expecting any praises…it's kind of impossible I suppose…with me and my complicated writing..) Just state them properly. Anyway again, I encourage you people to read on and especially to_ _**review**! I hope you readers here are generous enough to give me reviews, else I may just not update anymore. Seeing as how my efforts will be just put to waste…sigh…Another thing, sorry if I somehow tend to narrate things in a boring way and if they came out very very lengthy, and also if there are plenty of boring stuffs sometimes, but trust me, I'm doing the best I can to make my story interesting and appealing to you people. So please anyone, inform me if I'm actually progressing or becoming worst, through **reviews**. Once again, thank you minna-san!_

**Disclaimer:** _Tactics isn't my property sadly…Anyways, let's get on with the good stuff, shall we?_

**Chapter 2: Contact**

"Kantarou…"

"Haruka…"

The taller ebony-haired man slowly unfolded his delicate black wings, all around them, feathers continued to float as it furthermore give the illusion of being in heaven…a black and dark heaven…With Haruka, it doesn't matter where they go. As long as he remain by his side, thought Ichinomiya Kantarou, with a dreamy expression on his face. A black heaven. Sounds illogical. How could inferno ever merge with heaven? How absurd.

The young folklorist closed his eyes gently, very much aware of Haruka's proximity that he could practically feel the heat of the tengu's slender body. They stood face to face, Kantarou's head bowed low, eyes remained closed, it appeared as though he was expecting for something. On the other hand, the previously clueless ogre-eating tengu, now understood what his master was asking him to do. But can he do it? Is he ready to show emotions? To form an emotional attachment with a human despite his unpleasant experiences from his late master? Can he allow himself to take another risk, to indulge into something so uncertain? Can he stand it if he will be tricked, deceived, betrayed yet again by the very least expected person he never thought would be capable of doing?

However, despite the strong voice inside of him ordering him with great sinew to decline, to not let himself submit, to not allow himself to become a slave, a human's slave, his body still continued to disobey. Yes, his stubborn and reckless body versus his prudent and egoistical mind. At this moment, the latter seemed to be losing but it is not ready to give up yet.

"Haruka…"

Kantarou continued to lock eyes with his beloved ogre-eating tengu, the symbol of his life's only miracle, the sole source of his will to live, the embodiment of his hopes, dreams, desires, everything!

"Yes…I will make you mine…mine only…"

Haruka, on the contrary, only remained motionless and stiff, his arms hanging limply on both sides, without the least bit of intention to move and to encompass his master in his very own arms. Why would he do that anyway? What good will it bring? Yes, it will only raise false hopes, since it is impossible, not to mention indecent, for someone like him who doesn't even fall under the same classification of organism with his master. Yes, a human and a youkai or any other creature for that matter, simply cannot form a bond with each other, incongruity is one reason, take for instance, the difference in their life span. Yes, it will only cause inevitable pain and bring about unspeakable disasters and unpredictable catastrophes beyond imagination, heavy sins even.

"Haruka, you are mine…mine only…I will make you…"

"Kan-chan!"

Youko's shrill cry of her master's name abruptly terminated Kantarou's fantasizing as the silver-haired lad's eyes immediately shot open, he jerked upright, suddenly feeling dizzy and groggy. For a moment there, he can't seem to find the strength to support his own weight as he found himself falling and loosing balance upon attempting to stand on his feet.

Finally as he managed to overcome the aftermath of the shocking wake-up call made by the loud fox demon, his usually gentle and amiable expression turned into a grumpy and outrageous one that he practically showed sharp fangs. However, as a perfectly normal human being, he doesn't possess such. Oh let's not forget about the dripping acid drool that is supposed to accompany beast fangs. Suddenly, in the midst of the folklorist's irritation, a rather funny thought, which was inappropriate at that moment, crossed his mind. Somehow, he was thinking, would Haruka possess such if he by some reason turned back to his true and original form? He hoped not, if so there'd be trouble if they—they what? Good gracious! Don't even think about it! Else it might bring forth a terrible misfortune! Sigh, Kantarou and his secretly malicious thoughts.

The folklorist's anger impending to erupt was temporarily suspended with Youko's next words, as if it was already the actual arrival of the feared 'terrible misfortune'.

"Kan-chan! I have horrible news! Haruka-chan…He--he—"

Haruka? What could've happened to his Haruka? Not wanting to hear any further, he closed his eyes and turned his back on the frantic fox demon, while resisting the urge to cover his ears.

"How horrible is it?"

"Haruka-chan was taken away by some big-breasted gorgeous lady a while ago! You see, since we were so fed up of having to swallow tasteless foods everyday just to satisfy our starving and not just mere hungry stomachs, Haruka-chan decided to take matters into his own hands! By that I mean he have decided to accept the strange lady's offer! Now Haruka-chan…is gone…and…and I…" Youko looked tearful now, scared even, as she feared for her master might put the blame on her. Anticipating this, she continued, as if to defend herself. "I—I couldn't stop him. You know just how stubborn he can be. I can't convince him not to go…"

The folklorist's head was pounding, his thoughts at a complete disarray, his emotions jumbled that it was impossible to determine whether he's feeling guilt or anger, regret or fury. Everything became a messy and tricky enigma, fragile and sensitive that needed to be dealt with much care and discretion. What Youko was saying doesn't make sense at all. So it was his fault that Haruka left? Because he wasn't earning enough to provide edible and nutritious food? It couldn't be that shallow! No, perhaps Haruka had learned his master's ways of gaining easy money that he decided to adapt his 'rotten' tactics in order to benefit them somehow? That has got to be it.

"Relax Youko-chan. I assure you Haruka will come back. Have you checked his room? Surely his sparkling glittering stuffs there remained untouched? And what of his old and rusty bowl? He can't possibly leave permanently without taking it with him, can he? Youko-chan, you're always jumping to conclusions. You almost had me worried there. Just relax, will you? Don't you trust Haruka?"

_'Yes, that's it. Keep it up Ichinomiya-sensei. Don't get so possessive on Haruka, he was never yours to begin with. Get your thinking straight, will you? I thought you vowed never to treat him as a mere property? Don't ever take away his freedom from him!'_

_'I am not! That'll be the last thing I'll ever do, or better yet, that'll be impossible for me to do! Hurting Haruka and taking away his freedom? I can't even imagine myself doing that!'_

_'Good then, just to make things clear. Let's hope you remain that way though. Be on your guard as you never know when the enemy will strike. And when he does, the question will be this: Are you prepared to withstand the sheer torture you will be forced to undergo all for the sake of your beloved Haruka?'_

"Ne Kan-chan…Kan-chan! Are you alright? Are you actually…spacing out? Then it must mean Haruka-chan was right about our food! He said we weren't getting enough energy and the right nutrition to supply our bodies that it was gradually affecting our performance, yours to be exact. Must be why recently, you can't seem to focus on finishing your articles. That is just terrible Kan-chan!"

Kantarou's liquid auburn eyes suddenly widened as he noticed the unfamiliar voice invading his head these past few days. It didn't sound like him at all, so who or what could it be? However, Youko's worried voice again caught his full attention as he quickly remembered Haruka, his only priority. But then for some reason, another strong burst of emotion seemed to have overpowered his feelings of anxiety and concern for the tengu. Something negative and quite violent that made him return to his grumpy and frustrated state earlier.

Having interrupted Kantarou's little romantic fantasy dream with Haruka was bad enough, and now upon waking up, he even found himself slapped in the face by a rather urgent dilemma. Yes, nothing could beat paranoia once it managed to seize you as it will wreck havoc in your entire system. Some breakfast this is. So that now, the usually calm and carefree folklorist found himself being attacked by countless frightening thoughts with regards to his insecurities and of Haruka's possible disappearance forever. Never mind his madly growling stomach, he can deal with that later. Haruka's whereabouts has to come first.

Kantarou further felt his world spinning as he recalled hearing the ogre-eating tengu mentioning before about his 'only temporary stay' with his master as he refused to submit himself under such a weak human. And that greatly increased the spiritualist's anxieties a thousand-fold! What will he do once Haruka decides to walk out of his life for good? It was even a wonder the legendary ogre-eating tengu wasn't asking for Kantarou to break the contract and release him.

Even so, the paranoid silver-haired lad still felt no definite assurance of his hold over Haruka, thinking the latter's patience is merely as thin as a strand of his ebony hair, fragile and can easily be broken by a simple tug. Sometimes, Kantarou even wondered what might be keeping Haruka here with him? What with the tengu's detachment from them at times, giving them the feeling of knowing very little about him and his past life, as was made evident by his frequent visits to the roof and of the constant inexplicable longing in those dark eyes of his? So sad yet empty at the same time. How could you even call that expressionless when it seemed to give off an air of sorrow and despair?

_'Why…Why is he always acting so distant with us…Am I…not enough? Isn't he satisfied of being with us? Of being with me?'_

Perhaps it has something to do with the ogre-eating tengu's memory lapse. Yes, it has got to be it. Kantarou could still remember their previous encounters with Minamoto Raikou and his group who seemed to be very hot on Haruka's trail. Almost as if desperate to make him regain his memories so that he may be restored to his powerful form of which is his true self. Raikou seemed quite bent on defeating Haruka.

Haruka.

Was that even his real name? For all he knew, he was just the one who gave the silly name itself which was the very reason why the ogre-eating tengu's powers became limited in the first place, that half of his usual strength was sealed away by that name given by Kantarou himself. It even caused the tengu to lose his memories along with the pain and anguish of his dark past. But maybe, that was somehow a good thing to do. It was better to lock away bad memories to eventually forget them entirely, right? That way, it wouldn't bother you any more, it wouldn't harbor further painful feelings like regret, guilt, depression, grief, etc. etc. It was just the right thing for Kantarou to do, right? Or was it really?

Suddenly, the confused folklorist recalled Youko's words to him before, on that critical moment as he was torn in between two decisions. At that time, Kantarou can't seem to take any more of Haruka's long absence that he began to realize his very mistake.

**"You're always good at running away! You know that is just cowardice! Confront your problems for a change! Escaping won't solve it!"**

**"Haruka-chan is just too stubborn. He was adamant about his decision to stay there. He doesn't care how long it takes for you to realize what should be done."**

**"Haruka-chan won't ever take the initiative to see you Kan-chan! It's time you learn to do that yourself!"**

**"You have to do something! Please bring him back! He's waiting for you in there. You can't just run away forever! You can't pretend you're fine when in fact you're not!"**

**"You're only human Kan-chan. Your life span is limited compared to Haruka-chan, that is why, please don't waste your time. Spend it with him while you still can."**

_'Stop! Stop it! I don't want to remember those days! That was the old me, now I will no longer tolerate that weakness of mine. This time, I will be the one to search for Haruka myself. I will definitely bring him back. And about my life span, let's just talk about that later. I don't want to think about that for now.'_

Kantarou, engrossed with his internal battle, didn't notice the fox demon as she quietly left the room. Youko understands her master, words need not be said. She knew just how valuable and indispensable Haruka is and will ever be to her master, just as Haruka and Kantarou were to her. Yes, she cares for them both.

The spiritualist meanwhile, remained oblivious to Youko's silent thoughts as he continued with his own.

_'I promised Haruka I will stay by his side no matter what! He even warned me of the possible comeback of his memories which will probably endanger those around him and trigger his more beastly side. But still, I am not afraid and I never will be! Haruka is Haruka! That's his name and his name will stay. I don't care about his past or of what he truly is. For me, Haruka will always be my savior, the legend that ignited the dying will of my heart to live. And for that, I will never ever abandon him.'_

Now brimming with determination, he stood up to his full height, fists balled tight, he will find Haruka even if it means searching every nook and cranny, probing around houses, yes he have to look thoroughly! Judging from Youko's description of Haruka's kidnapper, despite the fact that Haruka wasn't abducted at all considering he went of his own accord, Kantarou can tell the lady should not be underestimated. Who knows what she might be doing to Haruka by now? Strangling him with her legs perhaps? Or maybe she'll go even as far as hide him inside the refrigerator just so he won't be found? Who knows what sort of hideous place Haruka was probably being kept locked up by now?

_'Haruka…I'm coming to save you…'_ was Kantarou's last thought before stepping out of the house.

--

"What do you wish to talk about?"

No response. The handsome ebony-haired man who spoke with such calm and perfectly controlled voice only continued to receive intense and flirtatious stares coming from the 'big-breasted gorgeous lady', as was described by Youko. This was beginning to annoy the stoic Haruka. Despite appearing calm, expressionless yet gentle, he still has a tendency to feel greatly irritated at times. But ever the mannequin, motionless and entirely nonchalant, even with the naughty hands of some captivated lady already proceeding to freely explore his body, some brave enough to encircle their arms around the unmoving man, while some even braver attempting to bring their burning lips to his smooth face (How dare they!). Heck, perhaps this guy won't even care if he gets himself raped! Apparently, that was what he had shown during he and Kantarou's previous encounters with women, or should I say girls rather. Right, Haruka should at least learn to defend himself from aggressive and flirtatious ladies hoping and swooning to get a taste of him, or should I say again, lusting for him rather? You couldn't probably blame them though, Haruka's looks, along with his body, is to die for! How come? I'll leave that to your imagination.

Disrespect be damned! Haruka wouldn't let his time be wasted on an utterly petty and gibberish matter such as this. Why did he even consider taking the lady's offer anyway? Just as what he thought, Kantarou's tactics are way too 'rotten' not to mention useless and unreliable, it was rather dumb of him to even try it. He then stood up with great remorse and without a word, proceeded to leave, not giving any acknowledgment at all. But the lady's next words forced him to stop in his tracks.

"Tell me, how do you feel about Ichinomiya-sensei?"

With her coquettish tone and the look of pure malice burning in her bright amber eyes, the ogre-eating tengu can tell the question wasn't an innocent one. Haruka then turned to face her and even managed to set aside his alarmingly growing annoyance just to confirm his suspicions. This lady apparently wants gossip and nothing else. Why hadn't he seen it sooner? He wondered what really prompted him to even follow the lady to her house, sit across from her, and tolerate her hot, intense gazes for almost the entire day now. Wait, just how long was he staying here already? Stealing a glance outside, Haruka saw the orange colored skies, a sign indicating for the sun's departure. Crap, he didn't even feel the time passing. It was like he…

"Kawaisone…Ano Ichinomiya-sensei…(Poor Ichinomiya-sensei) You just don't deserve such an awfully kind and loving master…You even dared to stay by his side despite knowing you might in some way hurt him for the days to come. What a cruel thing, one-sided love. It will only devastate those who came in contact with it. How pitiful, you better—"

In a flash, the lady found herself pinned to the wall by a pair of strong and masculine hands with its vice-like grip, her wrists easily succumbing as she was obviously overpowered by Haruka. However, she made no move to resist. She even appeared amused, not with the proximity, but by the fact that her words were actually taking its effect on the stoic tengu. Wow, funny she even thought her own approach might not work.

_'This is going to be a piece of cake.'_, the lady thought again, smiling coyly.

"You're rather quiet, aren't you? Obviously, Ichinomiya-sensei is the loud and enthusiastic one, as was expected, in order for the attraction to take place, both parties had to have opposite characters for them to first feel intrigued and attracted with each other. After all, who wouldn't love to solve an enigma? The feeling of excitement and thrill it brings, and the fulfillment upon discovering what was behind it! Oh the joy!"

As the lady continued with her monologue oblivious to the impending violence which is Haruka and his overwhelming desire to punch the woman but still felt improper of him to do so, the latter appeared disgusted by the woman's seemingly ridiculous display of behavior. What was uncanny still, was the fact that he somehow felt different upon touching her, as if something told him she isn't human at all! But if that is so, then what is she?

"Forgive me if I may appear meddlesome, prying into your private affairs which obviously should not be a concern of mine. But I was just rather curious seeing as how helpless your situation is, I just can't stand not to interfere. So, why won't you let me help? Why not tell me all about it? You wanted freedom, don't you? You wanted nothing more than to find your past and regain your memories, all of them! I can help you! I can give you what you desire, just…say so…say it Haruka…say—"

"You know too much."

Giving the lady one last threatening glare, he let go of her wrists then proceeded to leave once and for all, even though his mind was telling him to stay and to inquire further as to how this mysterious lady came to know so much about them, him particularly. But no, not now, not yet. He have decided a long time ago to fully play his role of being Kantarou's 'companion', and that meant keeping no secrets with each other. He trusted Kantarou enough to know he'll comply. The feeling is mutual indeed, for both of them. So for now, he decided to head home and inform Kantarou of what he was about to come face to face with.

--

"Where the heck did that idiot run off to? I'll really make sure he receives a rough scolding of a lifetime from me this time around! I am his master for crying out loud!"

The-feeling-is-mutual my butt! Heck, with this kind of reaction Kantarou was displaying, it clearly showed his lack of trust for the other! Or maybe he was just overcome by his anxiety of losing Haruka?

Youko meanwhile, could only sigh as she continued on with her chores. Behind her, even without getting the visual of her master, she could tell he's probably walking to and fro, throwing his hands up in exasperation, his adorable face contorted in frustration, his forehead very wrinkled, oh how he appeared so upset indeed! What with the time and still Haruka remained nowhere to be found?

"Youko-chan, tell me! Where else did I miss? We searched everywhere right? And still no Haruka! I can't believe how—how—"

Youko unceremoniously tossed the sponge aside as she heard the sound of a door opening, signaling for a person's arrival, or someone rather, she only wished it wasn't either Sugino or Moo-chan, or even the both of them! The last thing she'll ever need is to have a pair of immature adults fighting over an absurd youkai by the name of Moo-chan.

"H-Haruka!"

Kantarou blushed hard as he unintentionally blurted out the tengu's name, and also because of the fact that he was supposed to be scolding Haruka, not staring at him speechless and almost teary-eyed. He even fought the urge to run straight to Haruka and give him a bone-crushing embrace! Oh he's getting desperate. Upon realizing that, he quickly deleted those thoughts and forced himself to remain focused. Yes, focused and calm. Cool and—wait a minute, just what the hell was that tiny red mark on Haruka's neck? Was that a—

"Kantarou, we need to talk…" came the usual low and composed voice, and as his eyes were currently closed, Haruka was unable to see Kantarou's angry face, seriously angry face that is. As he remained oblivious to all these Haruka headed straight to his room, loosening his tie in the process as he suddenly felt it quite choking him. Meanwhile, the infuriated folklorist made no move to follow, his head bent low, his expression now out of view as his bangs were covering it. Youko cringed, feeling a disastrous war about to break out soon. Yes, soon as Haruka opens those sleepy eyes of his…

"Kantarou, what's wrong?"

He's quite dense, isn't he? Apparently, Haruka forgot about how late he was able to come home and of how he suddenly disappeared earlier without a word, which bound to make Kantarou worry definitely. And now he returned with a kiss on his neck? Well, what do you expect to get?

"W-was that a kiss?"

Finally, the silver-haired lad mustered the courage to ask such. After all, he was pretty desperate to find out how he got it anyway. Now whoever you are lady, make sure not to show yourself to Ichinomiya Kantarou here, or else, that'll be the end of you.

Startled with the sudden unexpected question, Haruka opened his eyes only to be met by Kantarou's accusatory glare.

"Kiss? What kiss?"

He continued to ask calmy.

_'Oh no you don't. I am in no condition to argue with you.'_, thought the ebony-haired man.

"That kiss!"

Haruka confirmed what Kantarou said as true with the look of shock on Youko's face. Apparently, something was done to him by that witch that he was unaware of and unable to resist. It appeared as though the lady was trying to ruin them, him and Kantarou, to ruin the still progressing relationship between them. But what could her motive be? Is she somewhat related to Minamoto Raikou? Was this another of his doing as mastermind? Oh how Haruka is getting so fed up of Raikou and his boring not to mention annoying schemes.

To make matters worst, Kantarou mistakenly took Haruka's silence as a 'Yes, some lady just can't keep her hands off me and I didn't mind' that he fled to his room without waiting for Haruka's response. Ever the turtle, the ogre-eating tengu was somehow lost in thought that he was unable to answer his master immediately. And now, this gave way for doubts to arise. Then of course, further misunderstanding will follow. But what Haruka doesn't get is this, what the hell is bothering Kantarou? It can't be just because of a mere 'kiss', or can it?


	3. Phantom

**Note: **_Hey people! Just to make sure my story isn't being ignored, I probably would update much faster if I gain at least 10 reviews from different people. I'm not asking for too much, am I? I just really want to get responses from my readers, I'd LOVE to hear out your comments, even criticisms will do, just please review! So there, let me repeat again, if you want me to update faster, please review every chapter...thanks!!(To the kind souls who already gave me reviews, thank you very much, I really really do appreciate it! I'll give my reply the next time I update.)_

**Disclaimer:** _Tactics isn't my property sad to say…(hysterical sobs)_

Chapter 3 : Phantom

Youko sighed heavily, as if feeling sorry for herself that she was still able to wake up and live another day of her pathetic life of servility. Not that she's complaining with regards to how she was being treated by Kantarou, because frankly, the fox demon believes beyond anything, that she was the most luckiest youkai to be ever named by a certain human for having a good-natured and not at all abusive master. Or wait, is Ichinomiya Kantarou, the 'famous' folklorist, exorcist, spiritualist, youkai exterminator, writer, bossy, childish, naughty, elusive, tactful, sneaky, manipulative, avaricious, oh let's not get carried away, so back to the supposed to be question. Is Kan-chan abusive as a master? Well thinking back on those days especially at that time when he asked, or rather ordered Haruka forcefully to fly his drunken editor home, claiming the tengu should make himself useful and all that drama, that wasn't being abusive, or was it?

Youko then dragged herself away from the soft and comfortable futon beckoning her to remain lying there that she shook her head vigorously to not let herself be captivated by the futon, plus the desire to sleep. She tried to remind herself of the list of chores already waiting for her once she steps out of her room. Yes, a list of 'numerous' chores, that is. Really, if it weren't for her name, she'd probably be—no! What was she thinking? Is she actually trying to turn herself against her very own master? But then again, something seemed peculiar here. As far as she knew herself, doing house hold chores was never a problem, in fact she'd even gladly do it without being told! So what's with that thought? What's the problem here?

BLAG!!

Now that answered her question, apparently someone is having mood swings lately, and it was getting rather disturbing not to mention annoying. Oh Youko would bet her very own fox's tail for this one.

"Kan-chan…again…"

Gritting her teeth in annoyance and frustration, the brown-haired girl stood up and prepared herself for the daily 'cat fight'. It was almost a week now, five days to be exact, that Youko would wake up due to loud bangs here and there, with the slamming of the door, the loud and deliberately heavy footsteps and the occasional groaning coming from Kantarou himself. And it took every ounce of patience the fox demon has to restrain herself from beating the two for good. Oh well, as if she is physically capable of doing that. So, she has no choice but to endure it.

Funny how she came to refer to their silent battle as a 'cat fight' simply because seeing them glare, scowl, frown and all kinds of hateful or annoyed facial expression you could ever think of, in silent mode, just reminded Youko of two cats engaged in a fight for dominance. And frankly, the fox demon has no idea up to when will this last. Somehow, she just can't bring herself to stand between them and play referee. Imagine how hard that could be , on account of Haruka's headstrong character, along with Kantarou's stubborn attitude, which is quite the same actually, there will be no more room left for the submissive Youko. Really, this was starting to feel degrading. Sometimes, the fox demon even found herself wondering when will she be free of her duties and servitude. Wait! Where did that thought come from? That was rather harsh. Asking that was almost tantamount to asking just how long will her master live! How ungrateful of her to even think of such! Really, just what is happening with her and her thoughts? It was like something was eavesdropping with her mind and somehow coercing Youko to think differently. Now that's suspicious.

"Ohayou Kan-chan! Haruka…chan…"

Youko's cheery greeting trailed off upon seeing an empty room. She shouldn't have bothered to even greet, such a waste of saliva. Clenching her fists, she decided to start with her chores by preparing their breakfast.

"Cooking time!"

But then Youko abruptly stopped dead in her tracks as she recalled Kantarou telling her yesterday that from now on, their meals would be limited to one time a day only since apparently, they're lacking in budget, lacking meaning their money supply is rapidly decreasing…decreasing…until it eventually reach the number zero. Great, now they are not just poor, they are beyond poor. What's next?

"I guess I'd probably just do the laundry…"

Humming cheerfully to herself despite the unpleasant circumstances, she proceeded to get the pile of dirty clothes. But then again, she stopped dead in her tracks, as she saw the empty place where there was supposed to be a pile of dirty clothes waiting to be washed. Wow, is this another indication of their pathetic financial status? They were indeed too poor to the point of having only one set of clothing? Now that stinks!

On second thought, maybe Youko considered herself just mildly lucky and not the luckiest among all the other named youkai. Somehow if she were living with a rich and prominent master, she wouldn't have retracted the first statement she had said earlier. But since it was the other way around, oh never mind. At least, Kantarou is not treating her badly or even cruelly. So that consolation would be enough for her survival.

Without warning, Youko's contemplating was interrupted as Kantarou suddenly emerged from his room, as expected, looking grumpy and…annoyed perhaps? Youko couldn't quite tell as her master just seemed to give off an uncanny air of various emotions these days.

"Kan-chan! Where are you off to now?"

The agitated folklorist marched off towards the door without even looking back to acknowledge Youko, or to even answer her question. What a snob! Ok on second thought again, maybe her master wasn't treating her good rather.

Evidently hurt, Youko turned towards her own room. Perhaps meditation would help calm her furs. But before she could leave her spot, the new taciturn Kantarou miraculously spoke up. "Since all of you were complaining about me being slothful and even claiming we're plummeting down to poverty, then I'd best find myself a job. Youko, please tell Haruka to find his own means of providing food for himself, just for this day though. Same goes with you. Oh and don't wait for me, I assure you I will be back really late."

With that, he took off in a flash before Youko could even have a chance to say anything. Waving goodbye to no on in particular, Youko murmured to herself.

"Ki o tsukete, Kan-chan…"

Suddenly Youko heard her master yelling from outside.

"I heard you Youko! Please don't tire yourself to even worry for me. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself!"

"Kan-chan…" was all the fox demon could say before finally letting a tear fall from her once bright and twinkling purple eyes.

"You're lying…You're not fine by yourself…You need Haruka-chan just as he needs you…Kan-chan has always been weak when left alone…"

--

"Daijoubu…Daijoubu…I'm perfectly fine by myself…"

Kantarou repeated over and over again as if it was some kind of spell which could somehow protect him. Perhaps, if he continued to voice it out, he would soon accept the reality of him being alone now, of him going to fight alone, without his ever reliable and mighty ogre-eating tengu by his side to make his job of exorcising demons more easy and less dangerous. Oh how he have grown so dependent with Haruka, as if the latter has always been accompanying him before, while in fact, they had only been partners for like a year. Yes only a year, that can be considered short as it probably doesn't even count one percent of Haruka's total years of existence. Such vast difference between their life span, one of the reasons Haruka kept himself from having any emotional attachments with a human.

Haruka. Can't he even get himself to think of anything that doesn't involve that cold and rather complicated tengu? It was like all of Kantarou's thoughts revolved around Haruka. His Haruka, there goes the weird thoughts again, as if being spoken by someone, but definitely not him. And this rather struck the silver-haired lad as strange indeed.

"Ichinomiya-sensei? I heard you were looking for a source of income?"

Engrossed in his thoughts, it took quite a long time for Kantarou to notice that someone was actually talking to him, exactly what happened to Haruka the other day, except that in Kantarou's case, he wasn't approached by a 'big-breasted gorgeous lady', but of a shy-looking girl, with a slender body I might add. If you look at her blushing face, you would probably think she has a crush on the completely oblivious folklorist.

"Actually, you're right. You don't happen to know where I could find one, or do you?"

Ever the tactful one, Kantarou tried not to sound hopeful, but rather, conscientious, as if refusing to help him would appear bad on the girl's part.

"I-I think I do. Would you like me to show you?"

See? No sweat! Now they're saved! Silently laughing in victory, Kantarou took the offer with a grateful smile, while the girl only blushed harder. Without further questions, the folklorist followed the stranger, believing she would lead him to a gold mine. Gold mine. Sounds good. Perhaps a little bit of gold is all that is needed to solve the little dispute between him and Haruka. Then again, perhaps not.

Kantarou, once again was submerged to his thoughts as he continued to follow the girl. Unbeknowst to him, his 'rotten' tactics would soon backfire, and he'd meet his very own deception, much to his dismay.

--

"Kantarou…"

"H-Haruka? Is that really you? What are you doing out here? And how did you find me?"

"You need not ask. You should know my ways by now. Anything for my master…anything at all…"

"B-but—are you for real? I can't believe you took the initiative to find me…that was so…so unlike you…"

"Yes, you are indeed correct Kantarou. That is why I have decided to change. From now on, you shouldn't feel insecured anymore. I am now completely yours, Kantarou…"

"H-Haruka, what are you saying? Stop that! I don't believe you…I don't believe you at all…W-What about our fight? You're still mad at me , right?"

"Mad? What mad? I can never be angry at you…never…"

"Haruka I said stop it! What possessed you to act like that? Hold on, just stand there and don't move, I'll exorcise whatever demon that is inside of you!"

"No Kantarou! Why won't you accept me this way? Aren't you glad I will finally be yours? Isn't that what you've been desiring for all along?"

"N-no, it's not…Haruka listen, I wouldn't wish to take away your freedom especially if it means bringing you despair…I can't afford to do that…"

"Kantarou no! You're wrong! I can tell you want me, all of me! And now that I offer myself to you, why do you refuse me? Why?"

"Haruka, it's not…It just doesn't feel right…H-Haruka?"

The silver-haired folklorist blinked twice, apparently confused of Haruka's sudden disappearance into thin air. It couldn't be that he was getting delusional, or could he? Haruka was really standing there in front of him a while ago even conversing with him, wasn't he? Or maybe not. Sighing, Kantarou just went on with his walk home, wanting nothing more than for the ground to open up and swallow him whole once and for all. Then the world can say good riddance. Slumping further while walking in the dark, he glared at himself, so much for using his 'rotten tactics' to benefit himself. Now he knew bad karma does happen to people.

--

Thank God he was now finally standing in front of his house, so that he could lock himself in his room and rejoice wallowing in self-pity. Great, he can't wait, serves him right though for being too stupid as to actually be deceived when he himself has been deceiving people. Now he knows, getting a taste of his own medicine really gives you a bitter feeling.

Just as he was about to open the door, he felt someone tugging at his sleeves, glancing down, he saw a little boy eagerly smiling at him. Now what does the little brat wants? The silver-haired lad was about to politely ask the little boy to let go of his sleeve when the kid handed him something.

"For you, oji-chan(grandpa)."

With that, the little boy ran away, as darkness eventually engulfed his retreating figure leaving no trace of his presence a short while ago. Curious, Kantarou looked down on his hand to see what the kid had given him.

An apple, great, not only did he get himself called 'grandpa' by some 'visually impaired' kid, he was even given an apple out of pity as he appeared incapable of providing food for himself. What is he, a beggar? Wait, that was rather insulting, the first part. Did he seriously look old enough to be called 'grandpa'? Just what is happening with the world today? Ichinomiya Kantarou's world to be precise. Was he really that awful a person as to deserve these consecutive misfortunes? Never mind, the more he thought about it, the more it gets complicated.

_'I wonder when will I sleep again with a full stomach? These days I've been going to sleep with an empty and a rather demanding one. Sigh…'_

--

The loud rumbling of three combined starving stomachs finally broke the eerie and deafening silence , while Youko continued to fidget in her sitting position. Apparently, this conference of 'diplomats' which was supposed to be a discussion about how they would find a wealthy source of income turned out to be a 'let's pretend we're mute' contest. And again, by some miracle, the ever loud and enthusiastic Kantarou was able to shut his mouth for good to match the already taciturn and stoic Haruka, that Youko gradually felt herself out of place.

It was almost midnight now, Youko at last found her guts to interfere, wanting to salvage their bonding not to mention their stomachs, she persuaded the two to make up and to set aside whatever their dispute was all about just for this urgent occasion. But now that they all sat facing each other with a round wooden table at the center, which is where their dinner was supposed to be placed, Youko was beginning to regret calling them together.

_'Oh this is so not gonna work.'_

Meanwhile, Kantarou remained wide-awake and observant as to how Haruka, including Youko, might be feeling at this moment. Well as the head of this house, he'll have to do the talking, apologizing even, since it was indeed his fault that they were reduced to eating just one meal a day. Oh well, just look at the bright side. At least, they were still able to eat. It's better than nothing. So clearing his throat, he began.

"Youko-chan, H-Haruka…"

Youko's fox ears immediately appeared perked up, indicating her full and undivided attention for Kantarou's speech. Finally, he was no longer being elusive and irresponsible. Haruka on the contrary, remained expressionless. Truth be told, the reason for being able to keep such a straight face was because he is trying to fight the urge to sleep. What do you expect, even a tengu like Haruka feels sleepy as well! Fortunately, the silver-haired lad was unaware of it else he would most likely get angry as Haruka already began to fall asleep without even letting Kantarou start his speech. And then the endless 'cat fight' would ruin their conference once again.

"I am really sorry but you must understand money is hard these days. They just don't appear on your doorstep by merely wishing them to do so, neither can you conjure them out of thin air. But please believe me I am doing the best I can."

Kantarou stopped, hoping to receive sympathetic looks, watery eyes and nodding head in agreement. He even expected Youko to praise him and of his 'diligence' in finding a source of income. But so far, all he got was silence, not to mention glares.

_'Kan-chan, don't state the obvious! Everyone knows about that already! Come on, you have got to be more than that!'_

But the fox demon decided to join the mute contest instead of voicing out her thoughts. So that left Haruka, the ever uncooperative one, or rather, he is just not the type to participate in discussions or conversations, unless it was his forte, like when it involves demons and spirits, definitely his cup of tea. Or should I say, his beat up rice bowl?

Moving on, the folklorist suddenly felt a huge desire to cut the cat fight and to patch things up with the ogre-eating tengu once and for all. Kantarou actually felt he missed Haruka, despite his ignorance of his master at certain times. Besides, it wouldn't hurt to apologize since the silver-haired lad realized Haruka was also scammed the other day just as what happened to him earlier. But at least, he went home with an apple, not with some lady's kiss mark on his neck. Oh never mind, let's not get Kantarou started. Anyway, luckily, the folklorist isn't the type to be conquered easily that he was able to resist the enigmatic girl's hypnotic words which almost brainwashed him. Who was she to know so much about him anyway?

Speaking of scams, which was actually the root of the two's 'cat fight', if you think about it, open communication is all that is needed to mend the dispute between the evasive folklorist and the adamant ogre-eating tengu. That was what Youko had in mind but apparently, she just can't find a way on how to bring the two to converse and to have a heart to heart talk, man to man I mean, since neither of them appeared apologetic. Oh this could take centuries indeed.

Kantarou meanwhile, found himself soaked in cold perspiration, as he struggled to think of the right words. Yes, it is entirely up to him now to reconcile with Haruka. Unlike before, there won't be any more Suzu-chan to bring them back together. And of course, wherever she might be now, seeing two of her dearest friends engaged in a quarrel once again would undoubtedly break her heart. Kantarou wouldn't want that. After all her efforts, the folklorist wouldn't allow for it to be put to waste. And so he decided to continue.

"I-I'm sorry Youko-chan…H-Haruka…for being unreasonable, especially to you Haruka. You see, I just kind of…got carried away back then since I thought you were doing that out of pure pleasure, taking the lady's offer I mean…Youko-chan told me all about it, of the truth. I'm sorry for accusing you without hearing you out first. But you know, you shouldn't worry anymore! I have made plenty of realizations these days that I have decided to work hard from now on! Hopefully, you'll work as hard along side with me…"

This finally made the ogre-eating tengu to lose his drowsiness, that it actually brought a half-smile to his lips. Youko meanwhile, was beaming cheerfully, thinking that they would soon be out of poverty and back to their ordinary life again. But wait, the tactician isn't finished with his speech yet.

"That's why tomorrow I'll try to find some youkai and ask them to do me a favor. You see, I have thought of a wonderful plan, but in order for it to work, we'll need a youkai's help!"

Haruka grimaced, somehow he had a feeling he knew where this is going. A plan, eh? On the contrary, Youko remained oblivious and even appeared excited to hear out the rest.

"What kind of help?"

"Easy. I'll just ask them to create a poltergeist disturbance on the richest residence here in Tokyo and then we'll go and solve the case for us to receive a huge, huge payment! No sweat!"

Upon saying this, it was as if time froze. Youko's reaction was suspended as she didn't know whether to hit her master on the head, yell about him and his selfish plan or to explain to him nicely that such was an improper way to gain money.

Haruka already anticipated for this to happen that he slowly stood up with his eyes closed and proceeded to his room, this time no longer fighting the urge to sleep.

"H-Haruka!"

_ 'Oh no! Did I say anything wrong again? D-Did I offend him somehow?'_

"I'm going to sleep now. I can see you've returned to your usual self. It's settled then."

Was the cool reply in his usual low tone that sent shivers running down the silver-haired lad's spine. Was that, by any chance, an indication of his attraction to Haruka?

"I see, Kan-chan don't have to worry any more. By that I can tell Haruka-chan has forgiven you already. Finally, we can all go retire for the night."

Yawning while stretching her arms, Youko proceeded to her own room, it was not long before Kantarou headed to his room as well, apparently, still confused.

--

The dark shapeless figure remained concealed as it kept itself away from the moon which served as the only source of illumination for the night. Once again, it was stationed somewhere near the Ichinomiya residence, surreptitiously taking watch.

"Oh no not yet, this day is far from being over. The game is only starting. Besides, it's still quite early to sleep, let us not waste time, shall we? Else, we just might miss all the fun…"

It gave out a spine-tingling laugh, anyone unfortunate enough to hear it would probably be haunted by the grotesque sound and the eerie sensation it gives for days. Slowly and with discretion, it began approaching the now darkened residence. Yes, darkness appeals to it, it is its strength, as it was originally structured from abyss.

**AN:** _Greetings again! Oh I forgot to inform you that I'm writing based on the anime series only, since I haven't read the manga and I probably never will. Besides, the two have somewhat a slight discrepancy so it would only confuse me more, and also as far as I know, the manga is yet ongoing, correct me if I'm wrong, and I am just the type who simply can't stand reading unfinished works, same goes with fanfiction. (I hate cliffhangers! I also am very impatient, I hate waiting, so there, I'd rather wait for it to be finished first before reading.) Well enough about my boring self, what do you think of this chapter? Too boring? Too lengthy? Anyone, opinions/reactions/comments/anything please?? For the millionth time, review review review, pretty please? Any kind souls out there??_


	4. Insomnia

**AN:** _Greetings everyone! It took quite a long time for me to update since I'm beginning to get real busy here, so I guess I'll have to warn you then, it'll probably take 7 days at most for me to update from now on. Sigh, college…things are pretty much hard to be done at the same time, especially since I'm not very good at multi-tasking…But please people, bear with me! Don't give up, I promise to finish this fic since I just LOVE Tactics! Pretty obvious, isn't it? So please just stay tuned, and you won't regret it. Enjoy reading! And once again, as persistent as ever, I'll ask you people to review. Please review!_

_To the kind souls who reviewed, jadedj8, youkai of hearts, aisu-sakura and MintyFlake, thank you very much! Hope to see you again in the next chapters to come!_

**Disclaimer:** **Tactics isn't and won't ever be my property…**

**Chapter 4: Insomnia**

"The legendary ogre-eating tengu…I want to meet him…"

"That will be kind of impossible at the moment Kan-chan…Since he was sealed somewhere. But then again, if it'll be you, I bet you could release him from that seal!"

"N-no, I don't think so…That'll be quite hard…"

"Kan-chan! Believe in yourself! We trust if there's anyone who can do it, you can!"

"I…I can?"

_'I can…I can…I can…'_

Ichinomiya Kantarou, lying on his futon with one hand holding his forehead, liquid auburn eyes staring at the ceiling, recalled his childhood memories. Yes, those were some of his youkai friends who believe in his strength and of what he can do. Strength, did he really gain such? Was he any different now compared before? Meeting Haruka and Suzu-chan…Did they really make him stronger?

_'Suzu-chan…It was all thanks to you back then that allowed me to have the strength to see Haruka…Sorry if we were unable to…'_

The folklorist's thoughts trailed off as he felt himself unable to continue, his hand sliding down to shield his eyes as if it would somehow prevent his tears from falling. Six months. That can't be considered long enough yet. Long enough for him to forget about the pain brought about by the loss of a certain person who sacrificed herself for their welfare. Regret, such an unpleasant feeling. Kantarou made a vow never to do something that would cause him regret in the future, or more like never to be afraid to try doing something so as not to regret not doing so upon looking back. Yes, he's had enough tragedies.

Great, and now he can't even bring himself to go to sleep. Perhaps it would be better if he just take advantage of the moment to continue one of his manuscripts to make Reiko happy for a change. And so, seeing as it was far too useless to continue lying awake on his futon, he decided to focus on his manuscript instead. Oh well, typical Kantarou who can't even face his very own thoughts.

--

"Haruka-san…Are you still thinking you shouldn't have been awakened instead?"

"S-suzu…"

"Please refrain from thinking of such…I have told you before, but then again I guess it wouldn't hurt to tell you again…That if you hadn't been awakened, I never would have met you…And if that is so, my life would…would have been meaningless…But you know, I'm truly glad that I met you…I do…I am…and I forever will be…Even in the after life…The memories we have, I will forever treasure it…"

"S-suzu…Please don't say anything anymore…"

"Haruka-san why?"

"I…I wouldn't want to be reminded, I wouldn't want to feel regretful…"

And just like that, the image of Suzu gradually vanished, as if a figure made entirely of powder that was being blown away…Yes, it seemed like both Haruka and Kantarou were being plagued by regret, not to mention guilt. Why was it being brought back anyway?

The next thing Haruka knew, he was hearing his own voice, as if being spoken by someone else, dominating the silence throughout his room. The words being repetitively said stirred his already locked away emotions.

"I tried to kill you Kantarou!"

"I am not the person you think I am!"

"My instincts immediately felt aggressive towards you. That is why, if I somehow regain my memories, I would probably attempt to kill you again…Kantarou…"

"Kantarou!"

Haruka is not liking this. How come he was suddenly remembering that day? That day when they fought against Minamoto Raikou, that day he felt most lost and confused, that day a certain silver-haired folklorist confessed his weakness of being unable to find the strength to break the name bonding, that day a certain person told him he was the most important person for…Kantarou…Kantarou himself…

Painful. The ogre-eating tengu's head was throbbing, he was gasping, two hands grabbing his head as if the gesture would somehow silence the noise attacking him. His dark eyes began to constrict, his nails turning into long sharp-edged claws. What? What could be prompting the sudden transformation?

Helpless. Haruka felt helpless at the moment that he was forced to surrender. With one last view of the bright and perfectly round moon, he lost consciousness, as everything turned pitch black.

--

"Waaah!! Umph!"

The unfocused folklorist clamped a hand on his mouth to prevent himself from screaming any further as he realized for the past few minutes of scribbling madly as if there's no tomorrow, looking down at what his hand had unconsciously written, spoke of him and his mind drifting to thoughts of…Who else?

Spring flower.

It was written everywhere in his papers! What else could it mean? Of course, Haruka's name. Yes, the silver-haired lad wasn't aware of his growing obsession over Haruka. Not to worry though, the said obsession can still fall under mild lovesickness and can't be considered an act of schizophrenia yet. Even so, for someone as 'intelligent' as Ichinomiya Kantarou, getting caught dead writing a certain someone's name a million times without even noticing it earlier, was indeed mortifying!

Clumsily grabbing the pages containing his absolute mortification, he crumpled them all together and hurriedly dumped it on the trash can. Suddenly feeling alarmed, he made a mental note for him to throw it first thing in the morning tomorrow before somebody will be given a chance to snoop around his room and to find the dreadful, embarrassing thing. Really, Kantarou practically felt himself melting in shame on the spot. What could've possessed him to do such a—what would you call it—impulsive and bold act as a manifestation of his growing obsession over—alright stop! Who said he's getting obsessed over Haruka?

Moving on, Kantarou thought he heard a peculiar sound coming from Haruka's room. He might as well check it out, for caution's sake and for his concern too. He figured his conscience won't let him rest unless he sees for himself that his beloved Haruka is fine. Sighing heavily as he was once again defeated by his emotions, he stood up and proceeded to the ogre-eating tengu's room.

"Haruka?"

The folklorist called softly, hesitating to open the door, but as he reached out to do so, he suddenly felt the familiar pain in his chest, indeed his scar was throbbing painfully, which meant there is an evil presence of a youkai nearby. Was it really that or—

"Haruka!"

Upon managing to slide the door open, what he saw almost took his breath away. Just as what he feared, Haruka fully regaining his memories, Haruka with his instincts instructing him to kill his very own master, Haruka losing his trust on Kantarou again, Haruka…being gone…forever…

_'No! I won't allow that!'_

Hands in position, clutching his Buddhist rosary, the exorcist closed his eyes and concentrated hard, risking vulnerability since any moment, Haruka might attack the defenseless lad.

_'Haruka…I won't let you be separated away from me again…not ever…'_

With this thought in mind and with only one goal, which is to keep Haruka by his side, he began to murmur spells rapidly, hands entwined, as he continued to emit a yellow light.

Haruka meanwhile, made no move to attack the exorcist yet. Since apparently, the tengu was busy dealing with his own internal battle, instincts versus emotions.

"Ha!"

Kantarou's eyes flung open as he directed his palms towards Haruka, the steady yellow light hitting the tengu's body. But as expected, Kantarou isn't strong enough to prevent Haruka's transformation or to even counter it. The only thing he could do now is to create a shield to defend himself in case the tengu attacks him.

"Haruka! Don't submit, don't surrender! Haruka!"

The anxious exorcist remained focused to the suffering ogre-eating tengu in front of him, while the latter continued to resist his beastly side, with Kantarou's voice, he was given enough strength to fight it. Kantarou…his master…his companion…his…Yes, before Haruka creates any real damage such as physically harming his master, his transformation has to be stopped now!

"Kan...ta...rou.."

As soon as the silver-haired exorcist heard this, memories of the day they fought against Raikou came rushing back to him. Kantarou could still see clearly, himself standing very close to Haruka, telling him if the latter would wish to claim his life then and there, he wouldn't mind, and was very surprised upon seeing the tengu struggle, until eventually, Haruka returned, speaking his name like he was doing now.

_'Kan…ta…rou…'_

On the contrary, the black-winged tengu can still feel the diabolical force fighting its way to dominate his sanity that he only saw one choice left, and that is to use his power on himself. Determined, Haruka spread his black wings wide on either side, as if breaking free from the unseen enemy's hold over him, then clutching his staff tightly, he did what he have to, in order to put an end to his suffering.

Kantarou saw through the tengu's gestures that he didn't hold back from stopping Haruka.

"No! Don't do it! Haruka!"

In one swift motion, Haruka raised his staff over him and called forth his power, which is lightning, to strike him without any hesitation at all.

"Haruka!!"

That was the last he heard before losing consciousness and this time, he fell to the ground, motionless.

--

Haruka carefully opened his eyes as his slumber was disturbed by an unfamiliar laughter coming from a certain woman. The sound of laughter gently flowed to his ears, invading his mind and almost hypnotizing him that he found his body moving on his own. He sat upright, dark eyes examining his location. Apparently, it seemed as though he was transported to some kind of…paradise? No, not to an ogre-eating tengu like him. Waking up without any recollection of what happened to him only to be met by countless purple roses was definitely annoying. Purple roses rob him of his strength which makes it his weakness. So maybe paradise, no, but paraDIES, yes.

Anyway, what's more surprising was the fact that despite finding himself spread on a purple-roses covered ground, it didn't seem to affect him at all, which could probably mean only one thing. This place isn't real, he was either getting delusional or somebody did take him to a place made entirely out of illusion. Perhaps the second one is more correct. But if that is so, then who might've been powerful enough to bring him here?

"I see you are awake now, black-winged one."

Haruka blinked once, as if to confirm that the materialization in front of him was real. Was she the woman whom he heard laughing a while ago? Or better yet, was she the person who brought him here?

"You were probably wondering how you suddenly woke up remembering nothing. You see, you're free now! Aren't you glad? Shouldn't you rejoice? You got your freedom at long last! And pretty soon your past memories would return as well! Isn't it just splendid?"

The woman, with her bright amber eyes, looked back at him expectantly, waiting for a favorable reaction. But upon receiving none, she proceeded to laugh as if in merriment instead, twirling and twirling around as if she enjoyed seeing her skirt fly around her. This woman, reminded Haruka of someone. She can't be the 'big-breasted gorgeous lady' the other day since this woman here appeared gentler, not to mention younger. Not only that, there's also a huge difference with their body. The person standing here in front of him gleefully gliding with a childish smile plastered on her face, doesn't have a voluptuous body compared with the 'big-breasted gorgeous lady'. Well, not that the tengu cared anyway. So what if she's sexy or not? He could care less about such petty matters. What he was concerned with now is seeing…wait, seeing who exactly? It seemed as though he was forgetting someone important…Great, now he's even having memory gaps. Could his brain be any more deliberate in making him see the obvious, which is him and his eons of existence already, meaning there's a tendency for him to be forgetful?

Straying from the topic again, perhaps the direct approach just might work. Why not ask the twirling, dancing woman in front of him instead?

"Where am I? What do you mean by that? Freedom…I am…free?"

"Yes! Yes you are! You see, claiming your master's life definitely set you free!'

"Master?"

Now Haruka was far from confused.

Freedom?

Master?

What the hell is going on?

And if he remembered it correctly, if his master somehow died without canceling the name bonding, then he would forever remain as he was, with his memories and his true power still sealed.

So, what was this woman saying?

Master, who was his master again?

"I thought so, we are just the same black-winged one. Pardon me if I keep calling you that, you see, upon your master's death, he broke the contract which therefore sets you free. And now, just like me, you became a wonderer…nameless and owned by no one…Splendid, isn't it?"

Death. His master was dead?

No, that can't be!

Is she saying he killed his very own master with his very own hands?

What crap is she talking about?

He can't ever do that! He can't and he won't!

"Oh so you're refusing to admit your own deed, well face it black-winged one. Your master is gone, you're free now, and you don't have a name to restrain yourself from becoming what you truly are!"

Fine, he got it now.

You don't have to rub it on his face!

But still, Haruka can't believe it.

As far as he knew, he could never…

"Still in denial, black-winged one? I'll show you then!"

As if finally revealing her true colors, the previously gentle and delicate girl's pretty features was replaced by a rather ugly one as she appeared greatly irritated and out of patience.

Haruka though, was unable to study her any further with the next scene that unfolded before him.

"H-Haruka…will no longer…b-be…your name…I…cancel…the contract…as your master…from me…to you…H-Hear this…I-I…"

"Yamero!(Stop!)"

Haruka shut his eyes tight, not wishing to stare at the bloody scene of his master, Kantarou lying on the ground, weak, helpless and rapidly losing his life, on the very brink of death, death that he, Haruka, brought forth. Those watery auburn eyes of his, the tender and soft smile on his thin pink lips, the gentle and sweet expression on his pale, pale face, amiable and sincere, pure and innocent…

_'Kantarou…Kantarou…'_

"Haruka…I-I.."

With one last breath and smile, Kantarou's eyelids gradually closed, his pale hands dropped to his side, its slender white fingers no longer moving.

So this is how it's like to witness an important person's death before your very eyes, especially if it was your fault the person died in the first place. Haruka inexplicably felt life itself leaving his very own body, he was paralyzed, unable to gulp or to even blink, his face held no kind of expression, nor did it show any emotions. He simply felt…empty…

"Haruka!...ne Haruka! Are you alright? Please, open your eyes! Say something! Haruka!"

Haruka's eyes shot open, he abruptly sat upright, gasping for breath, his hand clutching his chest. Upon hearing Kantarou's worried voice, he faced him as if to confirm that his master really was still alive and much to the ogre-eating tengu's relief, Kantarou is indeed, alive. This made him to somehow relax a bit. Now he was back to his usual cool and composed state. Thank God it was just a bad dream! Yes, a mere bad dream.

"Haruka!"

The silver-haired lad was unable to resist as he threw himself to Haruka, his hands gripping the latter's shoulders while his head buried itself to the unmoving man's chest.

"I-I'm glad you're fine. You really got me worried there! I thought that you—that you—"

As usual, Haruka made no move to return the affectionate gesture, his face only softened to indicate his response.

"Kantarou…"

_ 'I won't let that happen…I will not claim your life…Kantarou…'_

Finally, Kantarou managed to overcome his anxiety that he removed his hold on Haruka. He then turned to examine the tengu for any sign of injuries.

"It's good that you weren't hurt. Back then, I was really aghast that you did that for me. Thank you Haruka…"

Kantarou was fervently staring at the ebony-haired man, his liquid auburn eyes expressing his fiercely burning feelings that it almost set Haruka on fire, literally, with just the mere staring of the folklorist!

"Don't get carried away, I only did what I have to…It doesn't necessarily mean I did that for your sake…"

Not wanting to get too intimate, Haruka turned away from his master and resumed his usual cool expression, with Kantarou still beaming at him. He wasn't offended in the least, he knew Haruka was just being Haruka. He could still remember the Raikou-incident, at that time as they stood face to face ignoring the burning temple behind them, Kantarou felt his feelings overflowing that he practically wanted to hug Haruka. But still, they both remained glued on their spot, neither ready to openly show gestures of affection. At that time, Haruka only offered his hand to help Kantarou to stand on his feet since apparently, the latter endured three days of working nonstop without eating at all, due to Haruka's disappearance, which explained why he nearly collapsed back then. And so, Kantarou was happy enough to take the tengu's hand, the symbol of their reunion. Haruka and Kantarou, reunited once again.

"Finally! I suppose we could go to sleep now? Oh but it's almost sunrise!"

Kantarou pouted as he continued to whine like a 3-year-old upon getting separated from his to-die-for toy.

"Haruka…what'll we do? We're supposed to find a job today and yet, how can we do that if our bodies are too—Haruka? Hey no fair!"

Kantarou was about to shake the already asleep tengu but upon seeing his peaceful face and the steady breathing indicating deep sleep, the silver-haired lad decided to join him instead.

"I hope you won't mind if I sleep beside you, here in your majestic sparkling room Haruka…"

_'Just this once…'_ was his last thought before falling asleep himself, with a satisfied smile on his face.

--

"You're a lot tougher than I thought…Very well, next time, I shall resort to a much higher degree of action. This time, prepare for an actual devastating damage…"

With that, the shapeless figure vanished into thin air, not wanting to prolong its stay as the sun might cause it an 'actual devastating damage' instead, now that would be ironic, wouldn't it?


	5. Confinement

**AN:** _Greetings everyone! Before anything else, I'd like to thank the people who reviewed once again, namely jadedj8, Youkai of Hearts, MintyFlake, aisu-sakura and Lil-Miaka (Yes I so agree with you! I'm glad you liked the first chapter, please do come back for more! As promised, this fanfic has plenty of good stuffs so just…read on!! By the way, you've made the right choice! Kantarou and Haruka's pairing is by far, the best ever!)._

**Disclaimer: Tactics isn't my property…**

**Chapter 5: Confinement**

Empty, such a sad word, especially when applied to the Ichinomiya Residence. Peaceful, the word itself seemed to give off an assurance, a security, but it definitely doesn't fit the said household. Sighing with a heavy heart, Youko found herself unconsciously drifting off to sleep, but apparently she still remained awake with the help of her thoughts. The fox demon then smiled faintly to herself and to the little furniture in the house. Sleepy, thoughts regarding that word somehow made her smile upon remembering the unexpected scene earlier which almost caused her to swoon. Who would've thought she'd live to see the day—her thoughts abruptly trailed off, searching for the right words. What would you call that anyway?

Recalling the scene not too long ago, Youko could still remember the inexplicable feeling which immediately took over her upon opening the door to Haruka's room and seeing him lying there on the ground sleeping next to Kantarou. Their perfectly peaceful faces expressed their contentment it almost reminded Youko of two innocent children, tired and exhausted from spending the whole day playing with each other and exploring where their little feet could bring them to. The fox demon even chuckled as she saw how the two sleeping figures, both lying there curled up like a cat would to comfort itself, formed a circle. Not a perfect circle exactly, since apparently Haruka's height exceeds that of Kantarou's, but still, it furthermore gave an illusion of two crescent shapes with discrepancy in sizes struggling to form one perfect circle, a rather meaningful and cute thought indeed.

Enough about cuteness, Youko's happy bubble was suddenly popped as it vanished along with the brown-haired girl's carefree state by remembering her quiet and empty surroundings. Normally, they would have plenty of visitors, and when I say plenty, as in those people are loud enough to make themselves twice their own number, instantly populating the place and enlightening it up in the process. But no, not even Kantarou's persistent editor, Reiko-san, showed up today. Where is everyone anyway?

Youko understood once it's youkai-exterminating time, she should be left to take care of the house, no longer needing to worry about her master since protecting him and ensuring his safety would be Haruka's job. And her job would be to wait in the house patiently, finish her chores and prepare a delicious meal for their return. But somehow, she was starting to hate it. Ok, so maybe she again would take back what she had said the other day, about not wanting Sugino and Moo-chan here. At this moment, she was getting desperate. As you can see, she isn't the type who could endure long periods of silence with no one to talk to. Heck, even the taciturn and enigmatic British Nymph would be very much welcome to keep her company now.

Rosalie, Ryokan Hasumi's adopted daughter, who was just like Kantarou. Treated like an outcast, she was unable to gain acceptance from the society she's living at, and what was worst, even her very own parents refused to accept her! Speaking of Rosalie, where could she be these days?

Finally surrendering, Youko allowed herself to doze off, yes she'll only take a nap for the time being, she'll wake up again in a few minutes. Right now, her body can't resist but sleep. So much for thinking, really, she's getting overly dramatic these days, and really, a fox youkai like her can't afford to be stressed.

--

"Moo-chan! Come here now, we're going home, alright? Or better yet, let us pay Onikui a visit. I'll bet he's probably missing us by now. I just hope that Kantarou isn't home at the moment, else we might as well not visit, ne Moo-chan?"

Sugino's mean expression upon mentioning Kantarou, now softened as he turned his attention to the greenish youkai, who wasn't listening to her husband at all, since it was too busy staring at something below them as Sugino flew through the skies, heading to the mountains. But of course, Moo-chan's lack of response would not go unnoticed with Sugino and his keen senses for the object of his affection.

"What's wrong Moo-chan? What are you looking at?"

Still no response, Moo-chan was dead serious with its surveillance that Sugino looked down as well. Confusion was immediately reflected to his feminine-like features that he decided to land despite not reaching their desired destination yet.

"R-Rosalie? What's she doing here? Moo-chan? What's wrong?"

Moo-chan leaped down from the white-winged tengu's arms as soon as they had reached the ground. However, it made no move to approach the British Nymph. Meanwhile, the latter remained standing there motionless, it appeared as though she was staring at the huge rock boulders almost as if silently conversing with it. The wind blew hard, the leaves rustling, Rosalie's long curly blond hair dancing along, same with her dark dress, yet her body made no move. Apparently, she wasn't even aware of another presence, standing behind her. Sugino couldn't help but wonder if perhaps the girl had finally lost all her senses since she haven't been using them as much.

_'What's she up to now? No, more importantly, what's she doing here? The rock wherein Onikui was sealed, why was she staring at it as if waiting for it to come to life? What's she expecting?'_

"Lucifer…"

The white-winged tengu practically jumped, the mellow voice of the girl almost stinging him from suddenly disturbing the deafening silence he has gotten accustomed to so soon. Lucifer…she must mean Haruka! Swallowing and trying to ignore the lump forming in his throat, he summoned his voice to speak out his question.

"What about Onikui? And what are you doing here by the way?"

Another mild gust of wind blew her long blond hair gently, along with her dark eyes. Then, as if an answer to Sugino's question, she slowly turned around to face him, with her big emerald green eyes, it gave the white-winged tengu the impression that the girl was worried…surprised even. About what though? What was she worried or surprised about? Oh boy, if only Rosalie were easy to converse with.

"Well?"

Still no response, verbal response that is, since he saw the British Nymph carefully lifting her hand, her index finger pointing behind the white-winged tengu, however, the latter remained clueless as to what she was trying to point out.

"What's behind me—Rosalie?"

Sugino blinked a few times, his mouth hanging open. Was that just an apparition? Perhaps his eyes were only playing tricks on him? The white-winged tengu, finding absolutely nothing out of ordinary behind his back, turned to the mysterious girl again only to find her missing. Just what was that about? Shrugging, he decided to dismiss what he had seen as something of no importance. Oh well, maybe the girl was only playing hide and seek.

--

"Haruka?"

"Kantarou…"

"Haruka!"

"Kantarou?"

"Haruka…"

"Kan…tarou…"

"Oh I'm getting seriously annoyed now! Tell me Haruka, how are we supposed to get out of this—whatever this place is called? Darn it! How could I have been so careless as to actually let myself be outsmarted like that? I should've known that was a trap! Now what?"

"Relax Kantarou, getting outsmarted wouldn't kill you. Don't let your frustration cloud your mind. Right now, it would be advisable to seal your mouth shut and to set your mind working. Say, you're not claustrophobic, are you?"

"I…I…H-Haruka…"

"Don't tell me you find it uncomfortable to be stuck in a dark place with no one else but…me? Do you really find me intimidating? Perhaps not, since apparently you were brave enough to sleep with me last night—"

"Haruka! You're just teasing me aren't you? What a meany you are…"

_'Good thing it's dark in here, else I'd be caught dead blushing madly by now.'_

"Teasing? I'm sorry Kantarou, but teasing just isn't my hobby. I am always serious with what I am saying. Did you happen to think otherwise?"

"What? That you sometimes say things 'un-seriously'? Well, no, I just know Haruka isn't capable of doing that…"

_'Haruka, you're being a wise old man again…'_

"Kantarou…last night I…I…I just want to apologize…"

"What for? It's not your fault Haruka, we both know something like that is beyond our control. And I myself know you wouldn't even dream of doing that, so forget about it, OK?"

_'Geez, what's with the sudden change of topic? Well obviously I wasn't fully aware that Haruka took last night's events rather seriously again, and now he's even blaming himself.'_

"No Kantarou…I tried to kill you…It wasn't fine at all…Don't you realize what that means?"

"Haruka, I thought we already reached an agreement about that? Are you trying to leave me again? This time, I won't allow it. As your master, I order you, Haruka, never to leave me ever again!"

_'I may sound selfish, but I know deep down, Haruka wishes the same as well…right?'_

"K-Kantarou…"

"Don't even think about it Haruka…You're not causing me to suffer, not at all, in fact, I think I was the one doing that to you…"

_'Oh no you don't Haruka! I'm not going to let you blame yourself again!'_

"Kantarou…"

"H-Haruka…"

_'Was that all he's ever going to say to me? My name? Haruka, I can feel you're in doubt by now. Don't be, don't put up a barrier between us, don't distance yourself from me…rather please give me your trust…trust me…'_

_--_

It was dark, totally dark, that the silver-haired exorcist can't even tell whether his eyes are open or not as it made no difference. He blinked and blinked yet his dark surroundings remained unchanged. He also tried taking Haruka's advice to just 'seal his mouth shut and to set his mind to work.' But somehow, Kantarou can't get himself to focus, as he gradually felt himself drifting off to sleep, his head moving up, down, up, down, as if unsure of how to position itself comfortably. Perhaps, he'd better leave the 'planning for their escape' job to Haruka, as he was feeling so sleepy at the moment. Who knows, maybe he'll wake up later with a brilliant plan in mind? Then they could finally get out of this dark prison once and for all! But first off, he wondered why his body was unable to struggle from drowsiness and its pull? Oh well, somebody's having insomnia from last night. The ogre-eating tengu, on the other hand, seemed not to be suffering from the same state. He's pretty tough, isn't he?

Moving on, you might be wondering how Kantarou and Haruka ended up being trapped in some unknown place like this. Well here's the story. Apparently, since Kantarou finally understood Youko's meaning last night, he have then decided to just wait for a client, that would be Plan A, hopefully there will no longer be a need for Plan B. And well, what do you know, a client did come that very morning! What was more surprising was that the woman who came crying hysterically and desperately asking for the exorcist's help, actually turned out to be the mother of the little boy who had given Kantarou an apple the other night! Unfortunately, the victim's family doesn't have much to offer as payment, but even so, how can Kantarou turn his back on them when it was from that kid that he first experienced a sincere act of kindness and generosity? Never mind the fact that he was mistaken as a grandpa, he could just count that out. What's more important is that the kid needs their help now, and it was the folklorist's turn to repay.

But somehow, ever the carefree one, Kantarou didn't take the case rather seriously as he expected only a confrontation with some weak and a nobody-type of youkai, which explained how they got themselves trapped into some kind of a 'dark prison'. Nevertheless, perhaps it wasn't so bad after all, he wouldn't mind being stuck with Haruka anyway. Besides, his combination with Haruka always made him feel the strongest, almost like they're unbeatable, which led him to fear nothing. So rest assured they would soon be out of here safely in no time.

"Kantarou?"

No answer, the black-winged tengu can only hear deep and steady breathing.

_'It figures, he did fall asleep…'_, thought Haruka as he went closer to where Kantarou was sitting. Despite the pitch blackness, the ogre-eating tengu wasn't having a hard time finding his way at all since he was naturally sentient. And now that he was sitting close next to the gently snoring folklorist, he hesitatingly placed the silver-haired lad's head to rest on his shoulder. Suddenly, Kantarou snuggled closer to the source of warmth, his hands curling itself on the tengu's arm. Haruka, obviously shocked with the intimacy, was about to withdraw himself from the innocently sleeping Kantarou, but with the next words the latter murmured, made him stop.

"C-cold…"

The ebony-haired man smiled softly, thinking Kantarou was probably unaware of his actions at that moment that he just spread his black wings on either side to serve as their shield from the sudden coldness dominating the area. Yes, if only they could just remain like this forever.

Peaceful…quiet…contented…free of worries…free of—

Painful, Haruka suddenly felt his chest this time, throbbing painfully that he instinctively but gently pushed Kantarou away as he knew this familiar feeling signals his impending transformation. No, not now, not here. What happened to their peaceful, quiet and contented state earlier? It didn't even last long enough for Kantarou to witness it himself…

Haruka silently screamed as his nails grew into sharp-edged claws, just like before, that night, it was just like that night, when his master found him in the midst of awakening.

Why?

Why does it feel like something was intently forcing him to transform and to kill his master once and for all?

Who is causing all this? Could it be Minamoto Raikou and his subordinates again?

_'K-Kantarou…Run away! Get away from me! Get away!'_

Haruka wanted so much as to yell and to warn Kantarou, to tell him to get away from him as he was starting to get uncontrollable again. But by some reason, he has lost his voice. He could only growl bestially, his eyes constricting, his fangs showing, yearning to dig deep into some human's soft, soft flesh. The still sleeping folklorist meanwhile, remained oblivious to the danger right there in front of him!

Red...Crimson...Scarlet...Ruby...Vermillion...

The ogre-eating tengu's eyes were only seeing these shades of blood as bloodlust gradually took over his senses, overcoming his sanity. He's losing it…losing it…losing it…

No!!

The last thing Haruka ever remembered seeing before losing his consciousness was Kantarou, still sleeping soundly, despite the sharp-edged claws of the tengu ominously suspended midair, ready to slash the silver-haired lad.

--

"Muu…Muu!!"

"Great job Moo-chan! We were just in time!"

Sugino beamed, relieved that they managed to save Kantarou. A miracle indeed that upon arriving at the Ichinomiya residence and seeing no Haruka and Kantarou, Sugino persistently asked Youko of Onikui's whereabouts, since his instincts definitely tells they might be in danger at the moment with that recent encounter with the British Nymph, which led them here on time.

But oh the irony, the white-winged tengu would normally care less of whatever might happen to the silver-haired lad of who was called 'wife-stealer'. But look at him now, he had just saved his very own rival.

"W-What's happening? What's with all the noise—Sugino? Moo-chan? Ouch it's bright light! Which means we're…?"

Sugino tried to hold himself back from punching Kantarou who apparently, was unaware of what was happening. As if he didn't care at all that he almost died back there had it not been for Moo-chan's exotic ability of nullifying spells and destroying force fields by sucking them, which was starting to come in pretty handy indeed. Yes, it seemed as though the green youkai can do anything with that incredible mouth of his despite its small size, its ability definitely cannot be just ignored and belittled.

"Get on your feet, slowpoke! You know for Onikui's master, you really seemed unable to meet the necessary qualifications in strength and in ability—"

"Haruka!"

Finally grasping the situation and understanding what had previously transpired, Kantarou ran to the unconscious tengu's side, his forehead wrinkled, his auburn eyes watery.

"Hey don't you dare ignore me! I'm still talking here!"

"I'm sorry Sugino, and thanks by the way for your help Moo-chan, I'll try to give you a treat later OK?"

Kantarou then turned his attention to Haruka, who now finally regained consciousness, his hand clutching his forehead as dizziness greeted him upon opening his eyes. And then instinctively, he abruptly stood up despite his legs feeling wobbly, his dark eyes searching the place for Kantarou.

"Relax Haruka, everything's fine now. We're both alright, see, we didn't sustain any kind of injury so before you could even think about blaming yourself, I'll tell you not to, it's no one's fault. Now we'd best just go home seeing as how Moo-chan already brought the little boy back to safety."

Haruka felt his heart beat gradually returning to its normal speed upon seeing his master unhurt and uninjured. His nightmare the other night, he can't let it to take over his mind. Besides, that might be the enemy's motive, whoever it is. That certain enemy was actually not the one initiating for the tengu's awakening, it was all just on Haruka's mind, which means if he willed it enough, he'll be able to control it. This is his body and no one else has the right to control it but him. Not even his master, Kantarou, dared control the tengu's body. That only proves how much his master respects him.

"Onikui! That ungrateful wife-stealer didn't even bother to thank me for pushing him out of the way! Now I'm starting to regret ever saving that—that—"

"Muu!Muu—Muu!!"

"M-Moo-chan! Even you? Fine fine, but since Kantarou is here just as I told you a while ago, we might go home for now and come back another day when he's not within my sight. Farewell for now Onikui!"

With that, Sugino took off into the orange-colored skies with Moo-chan in his arms, leaving a trail of white feathers behind which could easily be mistaken as belonging to that of an angel.

"Wah! It's afternoon already? Haruka, how long have we been stuck back there in that dark prison anyway?"

It seemed as though the enthusiastic tactician was back to his usual childish state, disregarding what had transpired inside the 'dark prison' earlier. And now as Kantarou looked back at him expectantly, with that innocent expression on his face and his dancing liquid auburn eyes, how could Haruka resist not to play along and to forget whatever bad thing that happened a while ago?

"How would I know? I'm no clock, neither do I have a sun dial with me…"

"Sun dial? How much ancient could you get?"

"Kantarou, not funny."

"Oh but it is! I—I just can't—s-stop laughing—"

As the two proceeded to walk back home, Kantarou practically sunk to the ground laughing to his heart's content, his pale cheeks bulging out as he tried to hold himself back from laughing out loud. Haruka meanwhile, remained frowning, partly indignant that his master found him so humorous, but was also partly happy that his master still didn't mind if he stays, regardless of the second time that he had actually attempted to harm Kantarou.

"Haruka…"

"Kantarou…"

"Just…forget about it, OK? You're not at fault for that, and you never will be. We both know you wouldn't ever want something like that to happen. I trust you. I told you that before already, that I put my life in your hands. So please don't worry about it anymore."

"K-Kantarou…"

Overflowing, the ogre-eating tengu's emotions were overflowing that he found no words in which to express this indescribable sensation.

"Really…why won't they just leave us be? That Minamoto Raikou and his minions!" was all Kantarou said before grabbing Haruka's hands and cheerfully dragging him inside upon reaching the Ichinomiya residence, their home, their destination, their heaven. The ebony-haired tengu was unable to bring himself to protest, how could he when Kantarou appeared so…delighted?

--

Meanwhile, Minamoto Raikou, determinedly fighting the sandstorm with his ever loyal retainer Watanabe beside him, continued to walk on the Gobi Desert's grounds, when without warning, he sneezed out loud.

"R-Raikou-sama!"

"Not to worry Watanabe, apparently, someone is missing my presence. But rest assured, we will soon return to claim our victory over the legendary ogre-eating tengu. We shall defeat him along with Ichinomiya Kantarou! By then, we will have a completely flawless plan on how to make Ichinomiya Kantarou to break the name bonding. So they had better prepare themselves! I shall restore honor to our clan!"

"R-Raikou-sama!"

And the two continued to walk further, with a group of soldiers following close behind them. One of them couldn't help but ask though. "What are we here for anyway? Gobi Desert, you've got to be kidding me…"

"I heard that soldier! If any of you doubts Minamoto Raikou's words, then leave and be gone!"

The soldiers cringed, afraid to face their leader's wrath. Such bravery, exactly as you would expect from the leader of the Demon Extermination Squad. So there, the soldiers have no choice but to follow, follow him where…they had absolutely no idea…


	6. Psyche

**Disclaimer: Tactics isn't and won't ever be…my property…unfortunately…**

**Chapter 6: "Psyche"**

Incarnadine, crimson, bright red colors encompassed the exorcist's auburn eyes as he stared at the half-demolished mansion which once stood proudly with its glamour and elegance, but was now engulfed in a sea of enraged flames. After spacing out for a few seconds, Kantarou blinked as he remembered his duties. Yes, he's here to extinguish the fire and to capture the perpetrator, not to just stand there gawking and gaping and simply doing nothing.

Fire, such an untamed element, definitely not to be tampered with for all it is capable of would be destruction, that and nothing else. Or maybe it still has a good side somehow?

"Haruka! A child was trapped in there! Can you do something to get her out? I'll try to ease the fire. I know my spells can affect that fire since it was originally of a youkai's doing. I think I may have just discovered what kind of demon's work this is."

Without a word, the black-winged tengu headed to the burning house, fearless of the heat and its scorching tongue hungrily attempting to lash at him, yes, Haruka believes his master is capable of killing this huge fire, and for that, he will obey him.

Meanwhile, the silver-haired exorcist proceeded with his job, his auburn eyes now closed, his hands entwined in prayer, his mind struggling to stay focused completely as his thin lips mouthed several Buddhist incantations. Suddenly, Kantarou felt his chest throbbing painfully. At first, he tried ignoring it, still continuing with his spells, but then the pain inexplicably intensified, engulfing his senses along with his concentration, all efforts lost now. He was unable to hold himself back from gasping in agony. He fell on his knees, clutching his chest tight, perspiration invading his forehead.

His vision was becoming blurry though he could still confirm the fire growing larger by the moment, licking every nook and cranny of the house, sparing nothing, it proceeded to burn everything it came in contact with, along with…

Haruka, that name somehow renewed Kantarou's strength. No, he simply can't allow himself to be overcome by this pain. This mere scar will not get in his way! Haruka entered that inferno despite knowing it could endanger him, but by believing in Kantarou's words, he bravely did as he was asked. Such strong faith!

_'Therefore, I will have no intention of letting you down.'_

However, it was already too late. The silver-haired lad could only stare helplessly at the burning mansion now as it started to crumble down, digging the ogre-eating tengu's very grave in the process. Yes, he will be buried along with it. And Kantarou was powerless to get him out of it. Opening his mouth, the exorcist tried to yell out Haruka's name, but instead of that, a torrent of sticky red liquid came gushing out of his mouth, going down on his neck, soaking his clothes and even the ground, as he remained crouched down, hands still clasping his chest as if to keep it intact.

Blood.

What is happening?

Why is there blood coming out of his—His scar, it was hurting again!

This time, a thousand-fold worst! It was beyond endurance, it felt as though it was being opened fresh again, the wound.

But what could be causing this?

'_Haruka…'_

Tears unceremoniously streamed down Kantarou's face, wetting his pale cheeks, as he laid there on the ground, exhausted and rapidly weakening, his heart beating slower…slower…as if any moment now, it would come to a complete and permanent stop. Why? Why was he suddenly losing everything?

Haruka…and then now, his very own life?

Failure…

His ever first taste of major failure that had cost him not only his life, but of his beloved companion's as well…

_'I…I must save…Haruka…'_

"Kantarou! Kantarou!"

Kantarou suddenly found himself in a state of vertigo, everything around him was spinning, different hues mixing, gyrating, forming various shapes and sizes, confusing him all the more. And then the next thing he knew, a rather strong but warm hand was placed on his shoulders to support him.

"Are you alright? I must admit, you did a nice work of capturing the pyromaniac back there. Now that the case is solved, I suppose we could finally receive what should be received so we could satisfy our hunger once and for all."

Kantarou remained silent, still a bit shaky as he pondered on what he had just seen, or more like, experienced. It was just like a premonition, a foreshadowing of some sort. What sort, the exorcist have not the foggiest idea of what it might be suggesting.

"It was quite relieving to see you working rather hard these days Kantarou, though I wouldn't dream of inquiring what might have prompted your muscles to work. I'd prefer not to be informed so long as you continue in that state." Haruka continued as he started walking ahead, dismissing his master's silence as due to exhaustion.

Kantarou finally snapped out of his self-inflicted trauma as he became aware of his surroundings and of Haruka who was quickly gaining distance away from him. Haruka, the mere sight of him walking steadily like that made the anxious exorcist to breathe normally again, his trepidation gradually fading away, though not completely.

'_Haruka is safe…'_, was his last thought before finding his strength to pick up speed in walking, to catch up with the impatient tengu. "Haruka wait up!"

As if on cue, the taller man slowed his pace to allow his master to catch up. Once they were walking side by side already, Kantarou can't help but notice the noteworthy changing of the tengu's hair color when being exposed to bright light. From the pure ebony shade, silky and sleek, to a more lighter hue of forest green, enchanting and becoming to the black-winged tengu's fair complexion. Oh yes, Kantarou just can't take his eyes off the irresistible man.

"What are you staring at Kantarou? You might want to watch your step before you trip and fall. Once that happens, don't expect me to give you a hand."

Truth is, Haruka found it very uncomfortable to be stared at like that, especially if it was from the auburn eyes of his master, that he again quickened his steps as if to prove his statement. Though in reality, that was merely his defense mechanism so as to avoid his master from catching him blushing.

"H-Haruka, I was not staring at you at all! And what made you think I'd trip myself? I'm certainly not a klutz you know, I may be slothful but not—"

Kantarou wasn't able to finish his sentence as without warning, he found himself falling headfirst on the ground. But before his face could make contact with the hard concrete, a pair of slender yet strong arms caught him on the shoulders in time, steadying him firmly, almost as if planting him on the ground.

"You were saying?"

Speechless.

What are you waiting for Kantarou? Thank your savior for rescuing your adorable face from permanent damage! Imagine what that fall could have done with your pretty face?

'_Haruka, at this rate, how could I lessen my obsessive thoughts about you if you just keep on—'_

The ebony-haired man however, did not wait for his master's response as he was not expecting anything in the first place. He did what he have to do and that's that, period. Haruka then began to walk away, leaving a still paralyzed folklorist.

"H-Haruka! I said wait up!"

Dismissing his embarrassment as he would rather not have himself brood over it, Kantarou ran to the tengu's side, giving the latter a goofy smile as a form of thank you. Haruka though, remained staring straight ahead, his face impassive, though he won't deny the fact that he was looking forward to receiving their payment. You couldn't blame him though, who wouldn't after days and days of being penniless and impoverished?

Already forgetting his eccentric vision a while ago, Kantarou proceeded to walk silently beside the tengu, feeling quite satisfied at the moment. Yes, nothing could ease the silver-haired lad more than having the company of the ogre-eating tengu.

--

"I guess I have no choice then, stay here Moo-chan, I have an urgent and very, very confidential meeting to attend to, which sadly excludes you. So please, be a good wife and just wait here for me, OK?"

Sugino, the white-winged tengu finally made up his mind of paying an old friend a visit after hours and hours of hesitation. He realized it is time he interferes before matters could get worst. Caressing the shiny bald head of the green youkai, Sugino then bade it a last goodbye before unfolding his white wings and taking off into the bright orange colored skies. Soon, night will arrive and if his hunch is correct, that said old friend of his would once again make its attempt. This time there will be no telling of what it will do next.

As soon as he had gained altitude flying through the skies, heading to an old ruined temple not too far away, Sugino sighed heavily, feeling quite remorseful. He was blaming himself somewhat for allowing things to get this far. Yes, he do wanted more than ever for Onikui to regain his memories back and break his name bonding with that weak, useless, ignorant wife-stealer Ichinomiya Kantarou, but not going as far as endangering the exorcist's existence. That was kind of far-fetched. Even Sugino can't be that heartless.

Even so, for the umpteenth time now, Sugino kept on wondering how on earth did such a weak and gutless human managed to release such a strong and powerful ogre-eating tengu when he can't even unseal the said tengu himself? Was he, by any chance, mistaken in judging the folklorist's power? Fat chance, he could ask a duel with that wife-stealer right about now and he is certain he will eventually emerge victorious, well, not that he was planning to do such. Fighting a human? He wouldn't stoop that low. On second thought, perhaps there can be an exception, if it will be for Moo-chan's sake, then no doubt he will. As for other reasons, maybe he'll pass.

Never mind such trivialities, for now, Sugino has a more urgent matter to attend to and this has to come first above anything!

"Come out, we have to talk!"

Sugino landed gracefully on the ground, his white wings automatically folding itself while he cautiously approached what was left of the old and ruined temple, burned down not too long ago. This place, it brought back plenty of unpleasant memories. He even found himself wondering, would it have made any difference if he somehow got here earlier back then? Could he have prevented the—

"Sugino-sama, how splendid. I didn't expect to see you so soon. However, you arrived on a very inconvenient time. I was just about to leave to tend for a certain friend who's in pain right now. I could practically hear his seductive voice calling out for me to grant him comfort. He was confused you see, torn in between so to speak. And for the fulfillment of Sugino-sama's wish, I shall have to liberate him from his pain and give him an advice of what he should do in order to attain complete freedom once and for all. But still, I regret to inform you that my plan is still halfway to completion. I suggest you come back tomorrow for a much desirable progress. Now if you would excuse me—"

"You aren't going anywhere. This isn't what we have agreed upon. So I was right, you were the one prompting onikui's awakening. You intend to make him claim his master's life! What for? To join you and your life of so-called 'freedom'? Or is it isolation? Isolation from the humans which you were unsuccessful in escaping? Simply put, you're planning to drag Onikui along with your own misery. You want someone else other than you to experience the 'pleasure' of your suffering. It was stupid of me to even sympathize with you! I knew it, from the first time we came in contact, I knew something about your aura is peculiar. And now I got my answer, you're no genie, you're a—"

"Oh so you came here to detain me, Sugino-sama? As if I would allow you, you're a coward for losing your spine to see this through the end. After all, you were the one who wished for this in the first place, weren't you? And now you're backing out? Sugino-sama, let me tell you this. Do not even attempt to play clean, you have already sold your soul to the devil that was me, you have made your wish, and I was tasked to grant it. Regretting won't atone for your sins, this particular sin to be exact. Enough said, what do I know about atonement anyway, is what you were probably thinking right now, weren't you? Really, once I get my paws on that gorgeous black-winged one, I'll see to it to eliminate you for good. But for now, I guess I'll spare you the agony and put you in a deep, deep slumber instead. After all, now that you have discovered my plan, we can't just have you roaming around loose to eventually spill the beans now, can we? That would most likely ruin the suspense and then there will be no longer be a point in continuing this brilliant scheme of mine. I'm sorry Sugino-sama, but I can't let that happen. I've spent decades and even centuries of plotting for the day I shall emerge victorious! Now that I was given such a rare opportunity, I cannot let it pass! So, this is nothing personal really, since you have become a liability, I'm afraid I'll have to confine you."

Sugino meanwhile, was already planning on how to get out of this mess. He have to warn Kantarou, no, Onikui, of this impending catastrophe. To do that, he'll have to somehow escape—

"Oh no you don't Sugino-sama…You're not going anywhere."

The figure smirked malignantly, repeating what the white-winged tengu had said to it earlier.

The white-winged tengu then froze, as he felt his feet being crystallized. This thing was rather quick, so that now, Sugino could only do as much as to glare with all the hate he could muster within at the laughing shapeless figure in front of him. The last word he ever heard before being crystallized entirely was "Sugino-sama", spoken in a mocking manner, followed by a spine-tingling grotesque laugh to rival that of all the villains.

_'Onikui…Kantarou…forgive me…Moo-chan…'_

The shapeless figure then stepped back to admire its handiwork, the feisty white-winged tengu now a sparkling blue crystal, steady and motionless, powerless and helpless.

"You were pretty stupid to challenge me in my territory, white-winged one." With one last lingering look, the shapeless figure was dissolved, its particles getting carried by the wind to its next visit, the Ichinomiya residence.

--

"More rice wine please!"

Silver-haired Ichinomiya Kantarou, whose face was now a beet red, cried out as he raised his hand holding his empty cup. Despite feeling groggy and already hiccupping, he still demanded for another refill. Youko meanwhile, can't do anything but to just oblige. Tonight was supposed to be a happy and grand celebration anyway, since not only did the folklorist manage to acquire a large sum of money from his client earlier, he even finished his manuscripts just in time the other day and surprisingly, it was quick enough to gain sales. Finally, it seemed as though more people are becoming a fan of Kantarou's works. This definitely calls for a celebration indeed!

On the contrary, the impassive Haruka hated rice wine or any kind of alcoholic beverage for that matter, that he just sat in a corner relishing his new sparkling figurine bought to him by his master a while ago as a gift. It was rather generous of Kantarou to buy him one that it somehow moved the ebony-haired tengu. Surreptitiously glancing at his master, he can't help but feel delighted despite the noise and the stench of their drinks invading the atmosphere which would normally annoy him to death.

Somehow, Haruka felt deep in his heart that Kantarou deserved this celebration. He earned it, as he was surprisingly working his butt twice as hard these days. Shoving his Buddhist rosary with a little spell here and there, scribbling enthusiastically during dawn and even at midnight that his papers practically became ablaze with the friction his pen was making. Really, who would've thought the slothful Kantarou can be such a workaholic? Perhaps he just didn't want to be further submerged in poverty, or better yet, he didn't want Haruka to end up going with some 'big-breasted gorgeous lady' just to acquire some money.

'_Haruka's virginity will not be put at stake!'_, he almost blurted out loud, luckily, his grogginess stopped him from doing so, proof that Kantarou was indeed drunk by now, what with the droopy bloodshot eyes and the loud hiccupping? Alright Kantarou, it's way past your bedtime! Party's over!

Youko stood up and carried the empty pot back to the kitchen, to refill it with a nice hot tea, if not to sober the drunken folklorist, then calming his nerves and putting him to sleep will do, seeing as how his current state can't be stopped from getting all the more drunk.

"Reiko-san, I'll leave Kan-chan to your care for now. I'll be back in a jiffy."

"Oh don't worry about it Youko-san. Take your time please. I can handle him just fine."

"Reiko-san…don't they just love my story? What-what do you think? Hic-!"

As soon as Youko returned to the kitchen, Kantarou grabbed his editor's blouse, tugging at it hard, as if wanting to rip it. Reiko shrieked, removing the folklorist's hold on her.

"S-sensei! Stop it! You're going to rip my precious shirt!"

That's it!

Haruka can no longer tolerate this shameful display of behavior. What's more, the noise had already surpassed the limit of the ogre-eating tengu's patience that he decided to interfere. Rising up from his sitting position, he pocketed the sparkling figurine, then forcefully carried the protesting silver-haired lad away from Reiko and straight to his master's room. Yes, he'd better hide his intoxicated master quick before the silver-haired lad could furthermore embarrass himself with his unconscious acts under the influence of alcohol. No wonder the ogre-eating tengu hates drinking.

"He's such a child Haruka-san. Please take care of him, I'll have to be going soon. It's getting pretty late."

Haruka only gave a polite nod in acknowledgement, silently relieved that he won't be forced yet again to fly Kantarou's drunken editor home as she was perfectly sober this time around. Only he'll still be left to deal with a drunken person now, if anything, at least it was his master.

Reiko only remained smiling at them as she sat there waiting for Youko's return. Somehow, seeing the impassive Haruka carrying a squiggling and protesting loud and drunken Kantarou gave Reiko such amusement. What a funny and unusual sight!

--

Kantarou, Youko's master, Youko, Kantarou's servant. Would it be wrong if they were to desire to be together? Would it be inappropriate for a human and a youkai to fall in love with each other? Is there still a way for a human's life to be prolonged?

One-sided love, pain of rejection, refusal to accept another person's feelings, why? Why can't her master see her as…as…It was just unfair! Injustice! Inequality of treatment between her and Kantarou's other youkai, Haruka. What's so good about that black-winged tengu anyway? Youko must have the advantage since it was obvious the fox demon's loyalty surpasses that of Haruka's. He wasn't even submissive to begin with! Too proud and arrogant to live a life of servility for Kantarou, while she on the other hand, can give anything her master wishes. So why choose Haruka over her? Isn't she enough?

If that is so, then she might as well just kill her master. If she can't have him, then no one can! Especially not Haruka! Youko, with an obsessed look on her face, began to stir the contents of the pot madly, then grabbing a spoonful of powdered poison, she shakily dumped its particles to the pot. Yes, no one would know she will soon be responsible for killing her very own master. His death, fear not, shall be quick and painless.

_'For you master…my one love…your departure to this world…shall be quick…and pain—'_

"No!"

Youko accidentally lost her grip on the pot that it shattered onto the ground, the transparent hot liquid soaking the wooden floor, and the loud sound of it somehow snapped her out of her trance. That was when she became aware of what she was holding.

"No…What was I trying to do? And h-how did this thing get in here? No, what was I thinking? I…I love Kan-chan? And for that I have come to hate Haruka-chan? No! No! No! W-where did that come from? I didn't—I would never—Kan-chan and Haruka are—I am—"

Youko was badly shaking, her hands pulling on her own hair, her purple eyes opened wide in consternation. She sank to the ground, ignoring a sharp fragment from the broken pot as it pierced her toe. It bled, all the while the fox demon still remained in shock.

Reiko meanwhile, rushed into the kitchen as soon as she had heard the crash. "Youko-san, are you—ah! Youko-san you're bleeding!"

She quickly searched every cabinet for the box of first aid kit, upon finding it, she rushed to tend for the fox demon's injured toe.

"Youko-san, what just happened here? I was startled upon hearing a glass shattering that I…Youko-san? Why are you shaking?"

The brown-haired fox youkai only remained staring blankly as Reiko continued to dab Youko's wound with a cotton, the latter still aghast and submerged in her thoughts.

--

The shapeless figure now transformed into that of a maiden, slender and medium in height, her eyes still a bright amber, her hair in locks of gold, long and cascading down her back up to her waist, her white skirt covering her knees, showing a little of her skinny legs. Her thin reddish lips curled into a frown which gave a stark contrast to her pretty and angelique features. Her delicate fingers now clenched tight as she felt her blood reaching its boiling point. Diving into a certain being's mental state was exhausting indeed, especially since by doing this, she most likely have to do it on herself as well, to allow her own mental state to influence the other. Yes, it took up quite a lot of her energy. However, she wasn't ready to give up yet. She might have failed this first plan, but her next scheme would be more extreme, not to mention deadly, she can almost feel her victory now.

Struggling to keep a straight face, the unknown adversary focused its sight on the windows of the folklorist's room, where her next scheme is to take place. From her position, she could see a clear view of Haruka's face, his forehead wrinkled and his teeth gritted as if in frustration. The figure then cautiously crept closer to find a better spot, for the execution of her deliciously, wonderful scheme.

**AN:** _Whew! Done typing at last! Really, perhaps it'll be easier if I have my personal secretary to type my chapters for me. To be honest, typing is the part I kind of hate, that's what's keeping me from updating faster. Anyway, sorry for the characters' long dialogues above, Sugino and the antagonist in particular. That was quite long, wasn't it? Oh well, get used to it. Somehow, I just love writing long dialogues, it's my favorite part. So people, what do you think of this chapter? Please review and give me your comments, they're very valuable to me, I consider my readers' opinions very much, because I want to improve as much as I can. And only readers can point out to me the areas of which I should improve more, so please, do review…Anyway, thanks once again! Stay tuned, more good stuffs coming up! _

_To MintyFlake and Youkai of Hearts who has reviewed my last chapter, thanks very much!_


	7. Rift

**AN:** _Greetings everyone! Feels good to be back! First of all, I would like to apologize, people, for suddenly disappearing like that, don't get me wrong, I wasn't trying to escape or something, in fact, I had actually finished writing 3 chapters in advance but by some cruelty, something came up and I had to postpone my updates. I had no choice since my schedule was so tight it left me no more time to do the typing. Not only that! We also had a problem with our internet connection for almost a week, so that explains the late updates...Sigh…anyways, enough about that, it's all in the past now, however, I can't promise I'll be updating faster, perhaps it'll still take me a week or more than, to update. I'm really sorry but it's the best I can do. Moving on, this chapter took a lot of effort for me to write so I apologize if you'll soon find it boring and well…just see for yourself. Maybe the reason why it's getting hard for me to write is because this story is nearing its end. Anyway, this chapter has a lot of flashbacks or is very much related to Episode 13 entitled "Nightmare in the Woodland". I just love that episode and it works perfectly with my story so I decided to use it. Well people, here's the next chapter! Read on! And please don't forget to review please!_

_Oh and another thing, I hope you readers won't mind if I change Kantarou's eye color description from auburn to scarlet, I apologize for committing such an error, as for my earlier chapters, I'll just edit it if I will be given the time to do so..._

_Before I proceed with the story, allow me to thank the following people:_

GoddessOfWrath - _Hey thanks so much for the funny comments! I truly appreciate it! I'm glad you loved the story so far, please continue reading, I still have plenty in store for you, Kantarou-Haruka fans including me, an avid one actually so I'd appreciate it more if you see this through the end. Thanks again!_

buchouslvr - _Thanks for acknowledging my story and of course for reading it, hope to hear from you again soon, now that I've updated. smileys_

Noxious Neglection - _Hey here's the update! Hope you're still willing to read more...Thanks by the way for the review...Even though it's short, it still meant a lot to me...thanks!_

To MintyFlake , Youkai of Hearts , Lil-Miaka where are you now?, aisu-sakura and jadedj8 thanks for your previous reviews, hope to see more of your comments!

To AnimeFreak4261 , GoddessOfWrath , Michi-chan2 , MintyFlake , Youkai of Hearts , buchouslvr , flowsita , jadedj8 , thanks for including me on your story alert list!

To Youkai Of Hearts and buchouslvr, thanks for adding me on your favorites list!

_Hope you readers won't mind the long author's note, it wouldn't hurt to voice out your appreciation for something, would it? So here I am thanking all these people for supporting my story...Thanks once again!_

_Now without further interruptions, I present to you the next chapter!_

_Oops, I almost forgot to put the disclaimer! Well, here it is.. that wasn't on purpose!_

**Disclaimer:** _Tactics isn't my property...Erm...Too tired to think of anything else to say..._

**Chapter 7: "Rift"**

_'Now what?'_

Haruka, who wore an irritated expression on his face a while ago, now glanced at his snoring and intoxicated master, his dark eyes softening, highlighting its shades of green. Why does he always end up babysitting? He wondered, as he remembered back at the Mt. Fuji, where they were asked to examine a particular case of the ghostly apparition of an old ruined battleship to eventually have a confrontation with Minamoto Raikou and of his minions. Back then, he was forced to comply upon Kantarou's order to keep watch on Youko and Suzu in the woods as they answer to their call of nature. Wasn't that just a little degrading for someone of his own status and reputation? From eating and battling ogres and youkai, to serving as a nanny of two little kids, quite a new job experience for him indeed. And now, he was yet again unable to escape another _'babysitting_ _situation'_, though this time he is to tend for his very own master. Great, he can't wait. You think so? Of course Haruka thought of those with sarcasm. There's no way he could ever admit that he—that he—

Moving on, let's look at the picture so far. Haruka, completely sober and absolutely sane, Kantarou, undoubtedly drunk and far from his sane state, what do you think would occur next? In this dark and quiet room where there's only the two of them, the windows shut tight, the sliding doors closed well, the temperature climbing to insufferable heights, Haruka, with his dark eyes lingering on the sleeping folklorist, studying his unique features and engraving it into his mind in case he somehow forgets someday due to unexpected and inevitable tragedies soon to come. Oh let's not forget to add the moon and its mild illumination to further enhance the romantic feeling and create the desirable atmosphere to suit the mood. All that is left would be…

Unfortunately, Haruka isn't the type to take advantage of a certain person, or maybe he just doesn't want to make the first move! Oh forget it, nevertheless, you get the point, there's no way something like _'that'_ would ever happen to _'them'_. Besides, the black-winged tengu felt drained and exhausted today, what with all the excitement and merriment for narrowly escaping poverty and its deadly grip? However, ever the cautious one, Haruka hesitated on whether to lie there beside his master or to just go to his own room—

"Haruka…"

The ebony-haired man froze as he was half way to reaching the doors, attempting to open it. Apparently, his master was talking in his sleep. Closing his eyes and heaving a deep sigh, he went close to his sleeping master, studying the folklorist's steady breathing to make sure he's not having a nightmare. But of course, the tone he used upon speaking the tengu's name doesn't sound like he's having a nightmare at all. It actually sounded gentle, and soft, the kind of tone he always used whenever pronouncing the black-winged tengu's name, that tone reserved only for Haruka, Haruka alone.

Haruka was intently staring at the oblivious silver-haired lad that he was caught off guard upon the folklorist's next words, his hesitation, vanishing along with it.

"Stay…"

Well, what can he do? He was being ordered by his very own master to stay, how can he possibly refuse it?

"Haruka…"

Haruka froze again right after he sighed and turned to settle himself beside the peacefully and innocently sleeping Kantarou. Now what is he going to say this time?

"Think of it…as a request…and not…as an order…"

Was it just his imagination? Or was Kantarou getting really good and accurate at reading his mind these days?

Closing his eyes once again, Haruka decided to obey instead that he lay himself beside Kantarou, waiting for sleep to visit him.

_'It's just for tonight though…since you're drunk and I agreed to look out for you…'_ was his last thought before finally getting his eyes droopy and surrendering himself to sleep.

--

He can see it, clearly, vividly. His master's back, that could be easily mistaken as that of a child, Haruka then reached out slowly, wanting to caress it, to place his hand on the folklorist's shoulders. He wanted to let Kantarou feel of his support, of his presence, of his concern and of his—

Blurry. The tengu's vision suddenly became blurry as he felt his nails growing into sharp-edged claws, itching to slash at something soft, something warm, something like the back of the person in front of him.

_'Do it!'_

Haruka was suddenly hearing voices on his head, ordering him to deliver one fatal blow to the source of his sufferings once and for all!

_'Do it!'_

The ogre-eating tengu grabbed his own wrist to keep it from getting any nearer on his oblivious and innocent master.

_'Do it!'_

He fell on his knees, sweating profusely, his body torn in between, his ears greatly disturbed by thousands of unknown voices all speaking at the same time, plaguing him with diabolical, violent and bloody thoughts, wanting to arouse bloodlust within him. In his attempt to fight back and to resist, all went black.

Finally, after a few minutes, he was back to normal again, only upon opening his dark eyes, numerous flowers the shade of purple dominated his view as he realized he was once again brought to that horrible place. In front of him stood the mysterious and giddy girl who inexplicably stirs a feeling of hatred within Haruka whenever his dark eyes would meet with the girl's amber ones. And just like before, the girl was twirling and twirling around with not a care in the world, her bright amber eyes spoke of her vibrance and youth, innocence and strong spirit. Never would it occur to you that she was actually an embodiment of violence, deception and betrayal.

As she at last took notice of Haruka's presence in her somewhat despicable garden of cursed purple roses, she then turned to start 'entertaining' her visitor, much to the tengu's dismay. Here shall start Haruka's never ending torment yet again. As for how long this dream or more like nightmare will last, he knows not. But then again, he was left to ponder on what kind of trick the girl will use this time around. Give him some candy and lollipops perhaps? Sigh, he wished. But that was far from happening, you see, this girl is actually—

Moving on, the girl at first gave a seductive, coquettish smile on the impassive Haruka who in turn snob it of course, if he didn't, Kantarou might just come rushing in here from out of nowhere to finally disembody the annoying flirt's limbs to rid Haruka of his pestering—enough said, it was going a bit too far.

"Ogre-eating tengu, the one with the black wings, such strength and power…everyone feared the mere mentioning of your name…But then again, why should they really? It was a pity they were misinformed. If you ask me, you're not really the intimidating type…You don't…frighten me in the least…"

She smiled slyly, eying him with great interest, his body particularly, as she continued to twirl a strand of her long golden locks on her playful fingers. Meanwhile, Haruka resisted the urge to yawn, he is so over with this. In the past, he would always get annoyed and completely bored upon his enemies' delivering of their utterly useless and pathetic speech since eventually, they will still end up being defeated anyway, so what's the point? Besides, who asked for the girl's opinion?

The girl was keen enough to pick up Haruka's thoughts, what with his candid display of boredom, almost as if saying 'hurry up and get on with it' out loud. Feeling quite insulted, oh yes, such insolence cannot be tolerated, it calls for a punishment indeed, the girl then proceeded with her plan, her plan on destroying the tengu from within.

"Ogre-eating tengu…I wonder, does your name even suit you? Well, considering you weren't able to eat any more oni since Ichinomiya-sensei sealed you with the name…"

She paused, her face slightly revealing her dark side, which showed her great displeasure as she was about to say Haruka's name.

"…Haruka…How absurd…if you ask me, perhaps you should be called ogre-kissing tengu instead, like master like servant huh? I believe your goody ,goody master just loves to play with monsters even going as far as befriending them, the little fool. Ever the spineless coward, he can't even bring himself to kill them that it eventually rubbed off on you too! Funny he even calls himself an exorcist when he can't even hurt a fly! What a pity—"

That's it!

She has gone too far this time, insulting not only Haruka himself, but of his master, Kantarou as well!

That is why gentleman or no gentleman, nothing can stop him from doing any means possible to shut this witch up!

With a scowl, Haruka unfolded his black wings and clutched his staff tightly, as if challenging the girl in a duel. However, the girl only laughed maniacally, all the more aggravating the already infuriated tengu.

"Relax , I have no intention of fighting you, black-winged one. I actually want you to realize your wrong choices and to help you follow your real path. Where you are right now is not your true home, and you are aware of it, aren't you? You don't belong there at all. Ichinomiya Kantarou is not the right companion for someone like you. We are more compatible, because we are of the same cause, we have the same desire, we are of the same being, you are just like me, and I, like you. Although I know you don't believe my statement at the moment that is why, perhaps you will understand better if you see so for yourself. Watch carefully…"

Without waiting for a reply, the girl vanished without a trace, along with the surroundings, the garden of purple roses dissolving leaving everything shrouded in darkness once again. Haruka was left with no choice but to wait…wait and to see for himself what the mysterious entity meant…

--

"I'll protect you Haruka…"

Kantarou mumbled his beloved ogre-eating tengu's name over and over again in his sleep, unaware that he was actually drooling. He just had the most wonderful dream last night, as he remembered the look of concern and worry etched on the impassive tengu's face upon seeing how Kantarou had shielded himself from Watanabe and his cannon. Despite getting physically hurt, Kantarou didn't mind, as bonus he get to feel Haruka's arms around him and of seeing his worried reaction which seldom happens, even asking him to believe in the tengu's strength as Kantarou has always thought of Haruka as strong, which was actually where his name was derived from.

Such a pleasant feeling, being able to block a blow to keep Haruka out of harm's way, he wouldn't mind using his own body as a shield if the time comes for him to do so. All for Haruka, all for the ogre-eating tengu from where the folklorist got his strength, found his refuge and understood the true meaning of friendship. Yes, Haruka came just as Kantarou was about to lose hope and was on the verge of surrendering. That's why, he would do everything just to keep Haruka by his side. He wouldn't mind even dying for him. Too much? Well, for Kantarou, that's just normal.

"I'll protect…Haruka…Haruka?"

Kantarou felt his hands only touching the soft surface of his futon where Haruka was supposed to be lying at. Perhaps the ogre-eating tengu woke up early and decided not to remain in the room as it was the tengu's habit of not wanting to stay in a small closed space for long, which explains why he could be often seen visiting the roof and spending his whole afternoon there. Yes, that has got to be it. Despite being drunk last night, he was positively sure Haruka carried him to his room and even complied at his request to sleep there beside him. Kantarou was fully aware of what happened last night. So where was Haruka now?

The silver-haired lad sat upright, feeling slightly dizzy and wobbly, not to mention hungry, which reminds him, something is odd here. Normally, at this time of the day, Youko would come barging in his room to persistently drag him away from his futon and to force him to get on with his manuscripts and articles, but now, what's with the silent atmosphere?

Unbeknownst to him, he would soon encounter another disadvantageous situation which would put him and his relationship with everyone, to a test. When I say everyone, as in his friends and even some of his close acquaintances. Ichinomiya Kantarou's world would gradually become silent as he will once again be forced to walk alone, on his own, a loner once again.

--

Youko slapped herself if only to keep her sanity and to prevent herself from feeling uncanny emotions and thinking of indecent and inappropriate thoughts about her relationship with her master. She could've sworn this time some entity is at work, trying to manipulate her feelings to eventually cause her master's demise. Never, she won't allow that! Kan-chan has always been protecting her for as long as she could remember, it's time she protect him for a change. Even so, despite these numerous encouragements, the fox demon still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable about it, about Kantarou to be precise. Perhaps keeping her distance from him would prevent the arousal of those strange thoughts. Yes, in order to protect her master, that is all she could ever think of doing for now.

Youko even restrained herself from preparing any meals for Kantarou as she can no longer trust herself anymore with what happened last night.

"Gomen Kan-chan…I'm only doing this for your own good…Once this is all over, and I wonder when will that be, I promise to explain everything. But for now, I guess I'll have to keep my distance or better yet, seek Sugino-sama's help! Yes, that's right! He might know what is happening, good idea…"

Determined, Youko stood up then glancing left and right, she tried to find a piece of paper on which to write a message as explanation for her temporary leave of absence, since knowing Kan-chan, he'll probably panic upon waking up to find the house empty. Speaking of empty, Youko also woke up this morning to find Haruka gone that it made the fox demon to worry. She only hoped this time won't involve another_ 'big-breasted gorgeous lady'_ or else Kantarou will surely erupt once he finds out.

Leaving the note neatly folded on the wooden table, Youko gave one last look to the closed door of her master's room before sighing and transforming into her fox form as she find it more convenient to travel with four legs than two. This way, she would be able to reach Sugino's place faster.

However, as soon as she was gone, the folded note she left there on the table was blown away by the mild breeze accidentally, landing on the wooden floor, where it will likely stay unnoticed.

--

"Youko-chan? Haruka?"

A few minutes later, the silver-haired folklorist emerged from his room, fully clothed in his usual garments, and his senses sharp and receptive for his beloved ogre-eating tengu's voice while his liquid scarlet eyes immediately surveyed the whole empty place, quite surprised and at the same time intrigued at the house' uncanny silence.

"Where could they be? Is this some kind of prank to punish me from getting drunk last night?"

He continued to walk around, examining every nook and cranny of where Youko could possibly squeeze herself to hide and every time he confirms she's nowhere to be found, along with Haruka, he would always feel a sharp fragment of a mirror piercing his heart. As this went on and on, the silver-haired lad gradually lost hope of ever finding them, concluding that they might have abandoned him for real. But then, why would they? This is their home, where they belong, and he is their master, the person who is responsible for taking care of them. So why the hell would they ever desire to leave?

His previously cheery and radiant aura was then replaced by a gloomy one as he realized he was truly left all alone in the entire Ichinomiya residence. Youko and Haruka were nowhere to be found. Arms hanging limply on both sides, head bowed low, scarlet eyes held sadness mixed with confusion, Kantarou asked himself over and over again. "Where is…everyone?"

_'Kan-chan has always been weak when left alone.'_

Perhaps this was an indication of evidence in Youko's statement before.

--

Sugino felt himself gradually being able to move again, his body being free from the crystallization. Slowly opening his blue eyes, he found the shapeless figure staring at him malignantly. This time, it has taken the image of a full grown woman with a rich chest and a protruding behind, a voluptuous body in short. She was wearing an elegant evening gown the shade of ebony black, her pale complexion standing out with its contrast to the dark dress.

As she continued to stare at him, Sugino began to feel the feathers of his white wings being plucked one by one, his long black hair falling strand by strand. What an intense scrutiny this woman was giving him!

'_Just what the hell did she want with me?'_, Sugino thought angrily as he was about to open his mouth to ask why he was being freed.

However, the mysterious figure was quick enough to speak as answer to his question even without him saying it out loud first.

"You are mistaken Sugino-sama, I am not letting you free. Rather, I thought of putting you to good use. To further quicken the execution of my plan. You will do as I say Sugino-sama, whether you like it or not. So please prepare yourself to be used as an instrument to victory."

She didn't give a chance for the white-winged tengu to reply as in a flash, Sugino found himself being kissed by the figure that he could only widen his eyes in shock as he felt his body too weak to resist. But no, this isn't just a mere kiss. This is—

"You are my puppet from now on Sugino-sama…You will do as I say…"

That kiss sucked out Sugino's will, now all that was left in that body is his mesmerized and dazed state, desiring nothing, feeling nothing, thus leaving plenty of room for the figure to occupy so as to take control of the white-winged tengu.

"I regret to inform you that I am no mere weak youkai. If you must know, I am just as special as that 'Onikui', perhaps even stronger, what with the plenty of abilities I was blessed to have? Blessed, funny I even used such a term on myself when in fact I was actually cursed, cursed of being created by him!"

Surprisingly, instead of prolonging her dramatic monologue, she laughed instead, hollow and heinous, it rang throughout the forest, rendering all life forms speechless.

--

Rosalie stood motionless in front of the Ichinomiya residence, staring blankly with her emerald green orbs.

"Ichinomiya Kantarou…" she whispered to no one in particular, hands hanging loose on both sides.

It was a rarity indeed for her to be seen not holding the usual bluish youkai-like stuff toy she always carry with her.

Meanwhile, inside, the silver-haired folklorist continued to crumple the papers of which contained his '_rapidly-reaching-the-deadline'_ articles as he felt its content to be dull and simply put, incorrigible, that's why it deserved nothing but to be thrown in the trash can, where it belonged.

Wait, overflowing-with-crumpled-papers trash can that is.

For the umpteenth time now, Kantarou just can't seem to get his articles right! Could it be because he's still disturbed with Youko and Haruka's sudden absence? It was already close to midnight yet the two remained nowhere to be found. He was even starting to think perhaps Sugino abducted Haruka etc. etc. Really, what is up with those two, always blaming each other for their partner's whereabouts. Sugino, accusing Kantarou as a '_wife-stealer'_ and now Kantarou, getting this idea that Sugino might have kidnapped Haruka. Oh yes, it was the only place Kantarou could ever think of as the ogre-eating tengu seemed to treat the white-winged one's place as his refuge. If only things were that easy and shallow, but no, as of the moment, the innocent folklorist has absolutely no idea as to how grave the danger they're facing right now. But soon enough, he will have.

He sighed and slumped in his sitting position, his chin resting on the wooden table, using his pen to trace circles on one of his many scratch papers. He's getting real tired of waiting, that he even thought of all sorts of absurd reasons as to why Youko and Haruka might have went away like that all of a sudden. Maybe, he was being a lousy master and that Youko was getting tired of dealing with his annoying habits that she just decided to abandon him, same with Haruka. Maybe the ogre-eating tengu felt it's time for him to go, to return to the wild, to leave Kantarou…leave Kantarou…alone…

Closing his eyes, the silver-haired lad slowly drifted off to dreamland, sleeping with tears in his scarlet eyes. Somehow, the unusual deafening silence was driving him to sleep. Or maybe, he was partly hoping that he would wake up in the morning tomorrow to find everything back to normal, the Ichinomiya residence, a full house once again. Maybe…

Rosalie turned around and proceeded to leave, her expression remorseful and full of guilt. She felt it was time to go, before that 'thing' will be given the chance to catch her. Yes, she can't afford to get caught. Not when she's the only chance left to put a stop to that _'thing's'_ madness.

"Ichinomiya Kantarou…We'll meet soon enough…For now, please bear with it…"

With one last sorrowful and pained look, the British nymph vanished, leaving no trace of her presence a while ago, only a strong gust of wind howling silently into the night.

**Warning:**_ The next chapters will be quite confusing and somewhat sorrowful, containing plenty of drama etc etc...well, just see for yourself...()_


	8. Solitude

**A/N:** _So you're still alive and breathing, eh? Yes, I'm pretty much expecting such kind of reaction from you dear readers and I tell you, it's perfectly normal, considering my long, very long, absence. I apologize for that people. Well, the rest of the explanation, please just read below, at the end of this chapter is a detailed explanation of my absence. Once again, I apologize. Read and enjoy!_

**Disclaimer: Tactics isn't mine…never was, never is and never will be…**

**To the following people thanks again for reviewing, looking forward to your continuous support:** GoddesOfWrath, Nicole Arden, MintyFlake ,buchouslvr, Youkai of Hearts.

**I would also like to voice out my thanks to the following people who added me to their favorites/story alert list:**

Gettenshi , Gosangoku ,Keiko-tama , ShadowLovers , Youkai of Hearts , buchouslvr , death adder , romaniv27 , AnimeFreak4261 , GoddesOfWrath , Michi-chan2 , MintyFlake ,amartist2 , animelover52843 , flowsita .

**Chapter 8: "Solitude"**

Forsaken.

That was the only word Kantarou could ever think of upon opening his eyes only to find himself still in a similar situation as yesterday. Waking up to find yourself all alone in an empty house sure wasn't pleasant at all. It tasted worst than a bitter medicine, worst than being penniless you could say, or even worst than dying probably, that the silver-haired folklorist almost can't bring himself to move and go about his daily business which is to write…write…and write. Sometimes, he's getting tired of doing the same old thing. Even intellectual people get bored with such a monotonous schedule that they eventually seek for a challenge, a challenging challenge, if ever there can be such a description. Not that he's getting bored with the actual writing itself, no, as a folklorist and a writer, it delights him to transmit his ideas from his brain to paper until eventually creating a story of his own, however, this isn't the case at all times. The loss of an inspiration or motivation to do that job could very well ruin a writer's enthusiasm for writing. And in this case, that said inspiration that Kantarou lost was none other than Haruka, and Youko as well.

Dragging himself up, Kantarou lazily changed his clothes, moving slowly, deliberately slowly. That was partly because he hadn't eaten since yesterday. As in no meals at all, and now that he woke up to find his cook still missing, he'll likely spend another day starving again. Perhaps Ichinomiya Kantarou was just being lazy, or the fact that he doesn't know how to prepare edible meals made him choose to starve instead, but then again, perhaps he has his own reasons. It may have something to do with his feelings. Yes he was greatly disturbed by Youko and Haruka's sudden disappearance he almost didn't know what to think. Is this some kind of plea for help, a sign that something bad might have happened to both of them which explains why they haven't returned home yet? He hoped not, if so, he won't be able to forgive himself as a master for letting any harm befall on them, not his mere subordinates, but his family. Family. Such a nice word, it somehow evokes a warm feeling within him that made the anxious folklorist smile amidst his worries for the first time in days since the two's disappearance .Haruka and Youko, they were the family he never got the chance to have in the past. Therefore, he has no intention of losing them, not ever.

The silence was starting to become unbearable. Kantarou's lack of answers to his own questions hindered him from concentrating. As an exorcist and a youkai exterminator, he is expected to remain strong and to think critically under such circumstance, no matter how troubling they can be. He should not let his emotions blind him and distract him else, he may never be able to save those who need to be saved. As a professional, he should never give in to his worries and so, staring blankly and feeling sorry for your self definitely isn't a wise move at all. Wallowing in self-pity won't bring them back.

It won't, ever.

Without warning, the door of the Ichinomiya residence suddenly slid open. Kantarou immediately raised his head, his scarlet eyes full of hope and longing, his hands no longer covering his face.

Someone…someone came! Is it Haruka? Or Youko? Or better yet, are those Haruka and Youko finally returning home…to him?

The folklorist's temporary excitement quickly died down upon seeing the least person he'll ever want to see and to think that this person came at the wrong and least inappropriate time. So much for having a full house, he'll pass if it meant Ryokan Hasumi.

Kantarou's annoyance was immeasurable as he felt his privacy being trespassed and intruded by his rival. However, all thoughts of 'how-to-dispose-of-Ryokan-Hasumi' vanished upon seeing the expression of panic on his rival's face, which practically shouted the other man's depression, not to mention desperation that it prompted the silver-haired lad to inquire of the reason for his seemingly grave dilemma.

"What's the matter Hasumi-san?"

He proceeded to ask nicely, miraculously being able to suppress his feelings of annoyance earlier. Or let's just say, Kantarou is definitely good at hiding behind his one thousand masks of different faces.

"Rosalie! Rosalie! Something weird is happening to her, I swear, I-I don't understand at all, b-but she's been missing since last night! I-I don't have a clue on where she might have gone off to so-so…"

Hasumi raised his hands up in exasperation, with the depressed look, wrinkles on his forehead and droopy eyes, along with his thick glasses, his age would most likely be confused to that of sixty years already. Apparently, the man was restlessly worrying for his adopted daughter since last night. And out of desperation, he decided to seek Kantarou for help. Never mind their rivalry, this was for Rosalie's sake anyway.

"You-Ichinomiya-I know you're at fault for this! You and your youkai fantasies! You've been feeding her with rubbish that she eventually endangered herself into believing such balderdash! Ichinomiya, I swear! If something bad were to happen to her, I won't ever forgive you!"

Truth is, this wasn't the first time for the silver-haired lad to receive such threats from his four-eyed rival, but this time, it felt different. Kantarou can no longer act nonchalant about it. Hasumi's level of seriousness has actually increased this time around. And if it isn't obvious, he only came here today to accuse Kantarou of endangering Rosalie and not to seek for help at all, despite the fact that the silver-haired folklorist also has his own demons to deal with, that Hasumi wasn't aware of at all, or perhaps, he just chose to ignore it.

'Haruka…'

"Ichinomiya, it appears you've been left ALONE here. I wonder why that would be…"

'Haruka…'

"Oh I shouldn't have asked, perhaps they have all gone tired with you that they decided to ABANDON you once and for all!"

'Haruka…'

"Who wouldn't anyway? I couldn't blame them…what with all the youkai rubbish you're obsessing with…I shouldn't have left Rosalie in your care for long…Look where she is now…MISSING! Gone!"

'Haruka…'

"I shouldn't have come here. I just knew you wouldn't be of much help. Rosalie, oh my poor Rosalie, wait for me, I shall come and RESCUE you myself!"

'Haruka…'

"Ichinomiya! The best punishment for you is to be left alone to dwell in your sufferings! You should be TORMENTED for all the catastrophes you've prompted! Therefore, I will leave you for now. Do not expect to see me unless you have gained some information regarding my Rosalie's whereabouts! Hear that!"

'Haruka!!'

Alone…abandon…missing…rescue…tormented…

The silver-haired lad was trembling as he bit his bottom lip to keep himself from screaming, his fists clenched tight, his scarlet eyes fearful and wide, it took every ounce of his self-discipline to remain seated there and to prevent himself from tackling the other man on the ground, who now stood up and went for the door, completely oblivious of Kantarou's anger directed at him. But no, he can't blame Hasumi, perhaps he was only able to say such cruel and mean things to him because of his confusion and fear at the moment, his raging emotions caused by his anxiety over the loss of his adopted daughter that's why…Kantarou understands, for he feels the same now with two of the most precious people in his life nowhere to be found.

'Haruka…' was his last thought before finally letting his emotions reign free once he was sure Hasumi was out of earshot, his tears falling unrestrained from his languid scarlet eyes, his shoulders shaking violently. Weak…Kantarou has never felt so weak and helpless in his entire life before.

--

"Sugino-sama! Sugino-sama!!"

Youko yelled at the top of her lungs but upon entering the familiar tree house of the said tengu, she found it empty. Even Moo-chan was nowhere to be found. Youko was starting to believe the worst, somehow her instincts have been telling her she came in the wrong place, that she have to turn around right about now and run as fast as her tiny legs could carry her. But go where? Run where? She can't go back home, at least not now, not yet.

Perhaps she could try the only place left for the other missing ogre-eating tengu to visit, the place wherein he was sealed. Yes, they have got to be there, Moo-chan, Sugino-sama, Haruka-chan, they have got to be! Or else, Youko wouldn't know where else to go.

After a few minutes of galloping nonstop, the fox youkai finally reached her destination. Much to her dismay though, it was empty yet again, save for—

"Moo-chan! M-Moo-chan what happened? Who did this to you?"

Youko was aghast as she saw the crystallized green youkai right there in front of her. And as she took a step nearer, the wind blew hard that she needed to close her eyes to prevent them from getting watery and irritated. Once the impact had subsided, she reopened her eyes only to find an apparition of an unfamiliar figure right there in front of her. It was small though, almost like that of a child's, the figure seemed to be wearing a long black dress, her chin-length ebony hair graced by a large black ribbon. With her bright amber eyes, she stared coyly and unblinkingly at the still shocked and frozen Youko who remained rooted on her spot, as if mesmerized by the girl's sudden appearance out of thin air. Youko had a feeling it was this girl's doing that made Moo-chan like that. Her instincts were also telling her this figure was the one responsible for the recent uncanny events bombarding the Ichinomiya residence. This girl was the one who created a rift in their relationship with their master, Kantarou.

"Well well, we finally meet face to face Youko-san. What perfect timing! Please, don't just stand there, come and let us have some tea first. I trust you came here for answers, thus, answers I shall give to you. Your innermost wishes, I shall grant you."

Youko finally snapped back to reality as she became aware of what the figure just told her to do. As if this is the right time to sit down and have some tea with a perfect stranger. The fox youkai quickly weighed down her choices. Perhaps if she escapes now, she'll be given a chance to warn Kan-chan and—cold. Her four feet suddenly felt cold, looking down, she saw that her feet was starting to be crystallized, just as what happened to Moo-chan.

"You just made the wrong choice, foolish low-level youkai. You don't have the right to live, you have no more place in this world, you're an eyesore! Vanish from my sight! So sad though, for no matter how much I wish to dispose of you for good, my wish cannot be granted. Absurd isn't it? That I am able to grant other youkai's innermost wishes but to myself, I cannot do so? This was all his fault! His fault! Creating me with such flaws, such handicaps! He will pay…and you, my darling little weakling, shall assist me. Don't try to refuse, you'll only end up hurting your self. I'm sorry by the way for treating you like this, I gave you a chance at first, didn't I? But ever the foolish one, just like Sugino-sama, attempting to escape and warn the filthy and loathsome human! This is what you get for defying me!"

Youko closed her eyes as the figure's laughter erupted, echoing all throughout the forest. Silently praying, the fox youkai didn't attempt to open her eyes again as she wouldn't want to see the unpleasant sight in front of her.

'Kan-chan…Haruka-chan…' was her last thought before being completely crystallized.

--

The black wings' swishing dominated the silence as Haruka carefully lowered himself on the ground, his delicate wings flapping gently. As soon as his feet came in contact with the ground, he ran towards the huge rock boulders where the white-winged tengu seated himself, not acknowledging the new arrival. His olive eyes staring at a distance, his arms empty, Moo-chan was apparently not with him today, which was kind of peculiar. Haruka then approached the still white-winged tengu noiselessly, wondering why the latter was unable to sense his presence.

"…"

The stoical black-winged tengu stood behind Sugino, not knowing whether to call his attention or to just remain in mute mode, when without warning, the white-winged tengu spoke, his voice unusually cool , soft, as if perfectly calm and at ease.

"Why don't you join me Onikui? I believe we have a lot to talk about, don't we? As a matter of fact, we do, is what should be your answer, ne Onikui?"

"Why do you say so?"

Haruka proceeded to sit behind Sugino, their backs pressed against each other. The black-winged tengu suddenly felt an overwhelming desire to talk and to hear out the white-winged one's advice. It was rather ironic since in the past, Haruka would only ignore Sugino and his endless persuasion of Onikui abandoning his weak master. But now, he simply doesn't care.

"Onikui, you must know that time flows differently for us youkai, and for them, humans. Between them, one cannot afford to cross the set boundaries. Simply put, one cannot get himself attached to a certain creature which is not of his own kind. It's the law of nature. Nothing can change that, nothing can overrule that. In order to maintain balance and avoid conflicts, we should never violate those laws. You do understand what I mean to say, don't you Onikui?"

Sugino's words make perfect sense but still, Haruka remained confused. What he saw last night which was what prompted him to leave his master, may very well happen in the future.

That's why…

that's why he…

"Break the contract…"

Haruka's dark eyes narrowed upon hearing this, Sugino's tone was authoritative, almost as if commanding him, threatening him even. Something definitely is not right here.

"Break the contract and leave your master unless you'd want to put his life in danger."

"What-do you mean by that?"

"I have told you before, Ichinomiya Kantarou is not to whom you belong with, we youkai should not submit ourselves to the human race. They have no right to own us, to usurp us! We are far more superior than those manipulative weaklings, therefore, we can't let them use us like pawns for their own selfish desires! Do you not think so too, Onikui?"

It took quite a long time before Haruka was able to come up with an answer as he was baffled with the way Sugino was acting. His words…such intensity of anger and hatred, since when did Sugino become that infuriated with humans? Haruka knew for a fact the white-winged tengu has always disliked the human race, but this time…

"You are mistaken, Kantarou is nothing like that. I know he's not a usurper. He might be quite manipulative and sneaky at times but he won't ever put his friends' safety at risk. He is—"

"Friends? You call your self his friend? Onikui! Open your eyes I beg of you! Don't be blind to what's real and seeing to what's not! You have been deceived, yes deceived!"

"Sugino…what is wrong with you?"

Now completely confused, Haruka stood up from where he was sitting to face the other tengu's back, wondering if the latter had somehow hit his head hard or something to have brought such change in him in short notice.

"Onikui, if that Kantarou person truly cares for you, then he should have given you your freedom, your memories, your real power back! If he is truly concerned, then he shouldn't have made you weak like this and trampled with your pride by restraining you from eating oni! Don't you realize that? He wants you for himself that's why he sealed you with such a name! He doesn't want anybody else to get their hands on you until eventually, just as how his ancestors have done, Ichinomiya Kantarou will soon seal you himself! Can't you see he's no different? Therefore, don't wait for it to happen Onikui! Do something now while you still have the chance! Ask him to break the name bonding!"

Haruka was speechless.

This wasn't the first time though as he was known to be a man of very few and not just few words. But unlike before, this time he was forced to keep his mouth shut as he has no idea on how to respond to the white-winged one's outbursts.

Kantarou…

Leave Kantarou…

Frankly, the idea of abandoning his master never once crossed his mind especially after the silver-haired lad proved of how worthy he is to gain Haruka's respect. Except for a few occasions like…oh well better not mention it. And so, now that he came across with it once again, the ogre-eating tengu was having a hard time in deciding especially since he could almost predict what Kantarou would most likely say on this, something along the lines of 'Don't even think about it' or 'You promised never to leave me again, didn't you?, though that said promise actually came from Kantarou himself, and not from Haruka at all.

Thinking of Kantarou somehow gave the ebony-haired tengu a bitter feeling, as he was rather hesitant in leaving his master, contrary to popular belief. He was only forced to do it, again, for his own reasons or of who knows why. Suddenly, Haruka felt an urge to see his master, to return home and forget this ever happened—

"You should settle this matter once and for all. Remember, someone is watching you, and if you make the wrong move, it won't spare Kantarou's life."

That's it!

Haruka is so fed up of guessing here and there. His mere dream last night, that vision, how can he readily believe it? Maybe it was just one of those weird dreams you get due to paranoia, insecurities and anxieties. There's no guarantee of it being real. It doesn't necessarily mean it's already a work of something evil, plotting to destroy the world or to dominate it etc. etc., stuff like the regular villains and antagonists do.

"Onikui, do it, do it before you eventually regret not doing so…"

"S-Sugino…"

Haruka again took a step back, still facing the white-winged one's back that he wasn't given the opportunity to witness the inner struggling Sugino was currently undergoing, and it clearly showed in his facial expression.

'He needs you…Onikui…'

Sugino silently thought as he heard the faint rustling of the black-winged one's wings behind him, preparing to ascend.

With one last look and after debating with himself of what action he should make, Haruka finally decided to go see Kantarou. Somehow, he could practically picture his master's sorrowful face, and wondered how devastated the silver-haired lad might have been at this point, seeing as the ogre-eating tengu hasn't come home for days.

'Kan…ta…rou…'

--

"Ren! Byou! Tou! Sha! Kai! Jin! Retsu! Zai!...Zen!—argh!"

The silver-haired exorcist stumbled on his feet as he tried to block a certain oni's attack. He staggered back as the black force eventually dominated his own yellow light. He fell on his back to the ground with a loud thud. It was a good thing he had asked the occupants of this room earlier to leave as he already anticipated the battle with an aradama to be this messy, especially if it's a stubborn one. Yes, he'll have to finish this quickly so he could go back home and continue reminiscing and submerging himself further to thoughts of…

'Haruka!'

If only he's here, then the silver-haired youkai exterminator wouldn't have a hard time dealing with this pesky and rather strong aradama here.

Or perhaps, he was the one getting weaker that he can't even purify a single evil spirit. He was growing weaker because of his loneliness, his grief, his lack of confidence in his own ability, believing he's next to powerless without his ogre-eating tengu by his side. But, things shouldn't be the way they are now. Somehow, this seemed wrong. Indeed, Haruka is his strength, his source of strength to be precise, but not to the point of being crippled and powerless without him.

If that'll be so, how could he protect Haruka then?

How can he fight for Haruka?

How can he save Haruka if the time comes for the black-winged tengu to need his help?

Who else can save him? If Kantarou is weak without Haruka, how can he—

"Aaah!"

The silver-haired lad found himself flying backwards, his back hitting the wall rather hard but still not hard enough to render him unconscious, as his enemy unleashed another devastating blow which caught Kantarou off guard. Clutching his shoulder while his other hand was grasping his Buddhist rosary, he slowly stood up then proceeded to chant in a rapid pace, a blue light encircling him to serve as a barrier in case the aradama attacks.

'For you Haruka, I will fight to the end!'

Kantarou positioned his fingers, alternatively shifting it to form various hand seals to accompany his spells, his eyes closed hard, expressing his full concentration.

'Even if we're apart, loneliness will not confuse me.'

"Ha!!"

He then directed his palms towards the aradama, emitting a blue light which hit the youkai straight ahead.

'Invisible strength is the courage that you gave me…'

It screamed, a blood-curdling scream, a sign of defeat, of its departure to this world, of it…vanishing bit by bit as it was slowly being purified, the aradama leaving its possession.

'I will protect you Haruka!'

--

Normally, depressed and grieving people would opt to drown themselves in liquor, but as for Kantarou, thanks but no thanks, he'll pass. Getting drunk would be the last on his list. He's had a taste of it before and it didn't turn out pleasant at all, so on second thought, he'd probably just sleep, or eat, or simply sit and stare blankly, do nothing. He could use a little rest for now anyway, rest, which his brain needed very much. As a writer, or better yet, as a human being, one shouldn't allow himself to think too much. Unless he'd want to end up in a mental hospital and be labeled a psychopath, but then again, he'd rather choose not to.

"Haruka, what would you like for dinner tonight? Chinese sounds good, Italian feels mouth-watering as well! Korean is pretty appealing to my appetite too, what do you say? You don't have to worry, we're rich people as of today, that's why I wouldn't mind if you wish to shop and buy yourself a new suit. Or if you want, we could find another nice sparkling figurine to add to your growing collection. That would be nice, wouldn't it?"

The silver-haired lad plopped down on the ground, ignoring the fact that he was hitting something hard and not some soft couch, he then continued with his monologue, talking to an imaginary Haruka, and now Youko.

"Youko-chan, I guess you wouldn't have to worry about my unfinished articles and their deadlines anymore! You could just forget about it, we have plenty of yen now! I'm pretty good, aren't I? I managed to take on two clients today! It was quite exhausting but I don't mind, if it meant elevating our pathetic financial status, why not? Also, you wouldn't have to tire yourself of cooking anymore. Plus, I could take you out for shopping, let me buy you a new yukata. You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Kantarou stopped, his ears receiving nothing but silence, as it dawned on him. His money, his efforts of earning it, all of these would be worthless without anyone to share it with.

Haruka…

Youko…

Despite cheering himself to uplift his mood, in the end, he just can't get himself to escape the inescapable and to avoid the unavoidable. He's just running around in circles here. No matter how hard he persuaded himself to break free from his loneliness, of how it shouldn't consume him, since he told Haruka once of how much he trusts the ogre-eating tengu, his weakness and his fears seemed to devour his resolve still.

The silver-haired lad then gently spread himself on the wooden floor of his living room, his hands protectively hugging himself as he suddenly felt the vastness of space, with nothing occupying it except him, him alone.

Cold, colder than a snow would feel once it came in contact with your skin, Kantarou inexplicably felt himself starting to hallucinate. How come he suddenly felt the temperature dropping to negative when it wasn't even winter yet? The silver-haired folklorist then began rubbing his palms together to keep himself warm, when at the corner of his eye, he thought he saw a black feather or two float down from the skies.

'Haruka…' was his immediate thought, then he smiled lazily, as he can't even bring himself to laugh anymore like he used to.

'There is no way Haruka would come back. This time, I wouldn't hope for it.'

He thought with a wry smile, as he closed his eyes and remembered what had happened earlier, mistaking Hasumi for Haruka.

"Kan..ta..rou.."

That voice!

Is he for real?

Was that really Haruka calling out to him just now?

Slowly opening his eyes, Kantarou abruptly sat upright as he saw Haruka's familiar dark eyes staring down at him, his expression as impassive as ever.

"H-Haruka?" was all Kantarou could manage, almost in a croak, his tone indicating disbelief. But upon confirming the tall figure in a western style suit standing in front of him as real, Kantarou let his tears run freely down his pale cheeks.

"Haruka…you're home…"

**A/N:** _Whew! Done typing at last! As you all know, the typing part slows me down. Yes, yes I apologize for being way, way behind schedule and for leaving you all hanging like that, I feel so bad. So, it wouldn't come as a surprise if people would abandon this story, but please people, don't give up on me! Well, first thing's first, I guess you all deserve to hear an explanation from me as to why I've been absent for like a century. What can I do, college life is just so, so unfavorable for me this semester. With a cramming for departmental exams here and cramming to reach our projects' deadline there, I have no more room to do the typing. I already mentioned that I still have 3 chapters waiting to be posted right? But unfortunately I don't have the time to type them. Anyone would like to apply as my secretary? LoL...Anyways, I hope you people would still support this story and would still be kind enough to give me reviews, again, I don't mind receiving negative comments, believe me, it's better than receiving nothing at all, way, way better. See you next chapter!_


	9. Vortex

**A/N_:_**_ Another long absence! Forgive me for once again disappearing to thin air, I guess now you're all seeing how slothful I am when it comes to updates, especially if I have not gained enough encouragements from my readers, in the form of reviews. E-hem, anyway, please continue reading, exciting stuffs coming ahead, though I'm still not certain how many more chapters will there be. I just know this story is approaching its end. So stay tuned._

**To the following people, thanks very much! Please continue supporting my story!**

MintyFlake, Shiruji-chan, GoddesOfWrath, Lil-Miaka, Gettenshi, Gosangoku, Keiko-tama, ShadowLovers, Xicnar, Youkai of Hearts, buchouslvr, death adder, romaniv27, 20eKUraN08, AnimeFreak4261, Cyaplunc, Hiya120, Michi-chan2, Spirit's Whisper, Twilightpaw, amartist2, animelover52843, jadedj8, mierdacsm, zeair.

**Disclaimer:** _Tactics is not my property…sigh, I have nothing else to say here…scroll down and start reading people!_

**Chapter 9: "Vortex"**

Awakened.

He was once again awakened. He was released, unsealed, so that he could allow himself to see the world yet again. His freedom, one that he was deprived of in the past, will now be granted to him. But no, it appeared a certain human had been responsible for waking him up. Therefore, he should pay his debt of gratitude by making that person his master.

"Be proud human, you have managed to release me from my seal, which entitles you to be…my master. I was once called Onikui Tengu, however, I will no longer be called such from now on. Since you, my master, will be given the power to name me…"

The ebony-haired tengu looked down on the silver-haired lad who was staring at the former with watery eyes. Was he frightened? Or perhaps just excited?

'I have always admired you…'

"Haruka…"

'I have always wanted to see you…'

"Your name will be Haruka…"

'I have always believed in you…'

"From now on, you'll be called…Haruka…"

He locked eyes with the other's liquid scarlet one, feeling an indescribable sensation of some sort, almost as if telling him, this is just the beginning…Yes…the beginning…

"Kantarou!!"

The black-winged tengu's dark eyes were wide with fear, his arms encircled around the injured exorcist as he attempted to shield Haruka from Watanabe's canon. With a faint smile, Kantarou whispered, "I'm glad you're not hurt…Haruka…"

Guilt.

The ogre-eating tengu suddenly felt guilt dominating him, stabbing his slender body over and over again. He was supposed to be the one shielding him. He might be forgetting, Kantarou as a human is by far weaker compared to the mighty ogre-eating tengu. So how could he let this happen?

"Stay away…"

Haruka spouted the words coldly, his dark eyes struggling to overcome the shades of red it was seeing. He took another step away from the silver-haired lad, his feet carelessly crushing the fragment of the shattered glass, while behind him stood the silver-haired folklorist who was attempting to comfort the confused tengu. But with those words, it made Kantarou to stagger back, keeping his hand from touching the tengu's shoulder.

"Haruka…" Kantarou whispered, pain evident in his voice though the black-winged tengu took no notice of it.

Flashbacks of those painful moments kept on playing in his head, those visions which he can't even bring himself to forget. Maybe Sugino did have a point. He'll only be hurting Kantarou more if he stays, especially if he for some reason he suddenly transformed again, and there is no telling them when it will occur.

"Break the contract!"

Haruka closed his eyes as he continued to walk in a rather slow pace, dreading to reach his destination.

"Ask him to break the contract!"

Can the black-winged tengu do that?

Ask Kantarou to release him, to break the name bonding, and then to leave him?

Why? Why did he have to listen to Sugino?

Why did he have to obey him if it's against his own will?

"Force him to break the contract!"

It's not as if the white-winged tengu was black-mailing him, or wasn't he?

So if Haruka doesn't want to, then he could just go back home, resume his normal life with Kantarou and his job of exterminating youkai, and act like nothing happened at all. So, what could be stopping him from doing that instead?

"Or else, you will endanger Kantarou's life…"

Endanger, put his master's life in danger?

No way would Haruka allow that! Despite his cold treatment and harsh remarks to that silver-haired folklorist, deep inside, he truly does care for him! He only didn't want to show it too candidly since knowing Kantarou , ever the manipulative tactician, he might somehow use it against Haruka and if that happens, well of course, the latter will be left with no choice but to comply, like a dog in a leash would allow itself to be dragged around by its owner. Well that doesn't sound pleasant at all, degrading is what it is.

Haruka shook those thoughts away as he began to wish to stop walking and to turn back instead, but his body just can't obey what is mind was ordering for it to do. And now, as he approached his destination nearer, he found his mind at a disarray. His thoughts entangled, his feelings a mixture of various emotions, even his tongue seemed to be withdrawing itself so as not to be used later. If he continue with this state, how the hell can he face his master?

Footsteps behind him, an unfamiliar presence intruding, a diabolical force of some sort, Haruka felt it somewhere close to where he was standing. A stalker perhaps? How brave of that person to follow him boldly like this without even trying to conceal himself? Haruka, feeling so fed up of such games, stopped and concentrated on pinpointing the stalker's exact location. But before he could even do so, silence was shattered with the next sound he heard, a very familiar laughter…of a woman. Turning around he came face to face with the blonde woman with bright amber eyes who has been haunting his dreams recently. Haruka could only stand there in shock, dark-eyes wide, his body stiffening.

"You…"

The slender woman only smiled in that trademark coquettish manner of hers, with a hint of malice and malign, her bright amber orbs held boundless abyss despite its radiance.

"Yes…Me…"

--

"H-Haruka? I-Is that really you? You came back…I knew you would! I've always known Haruka won't desert me."

Kantarou ran towards the stiff ebony-haired tengu, unaware of the metamorphosis his companion had undergone. He then clutched Haruka's arms tightly, his face tilted up to look the latter straight in the eye, and that was when it hit him. This man standing in front of him, was a mere shell, which held no soul, no emotions, simply put, empty, his dark eyes now darker than ever that Kantarou could practically feel the coldness radiating from the tengu's eyes. Disappointed, the silver-haired folklorist stepped back, removing his grip from the ogre-eating tengu who still remained in that stagnant position.

"H-Haruka? What happened to you? Why did you go and leave without any explanations at all? And now you came back like this?"

Haruka only continued to stare at him, as if a lifeless statue made to stare at one point, and can only be shifted once its position was moved. Kantarou was on the verge of tears but he swallowed it back forcefully, putting up a strong front. He can't yield now, not in front of the very embodiment of his strength, he can't. He'll solve this puzzle and return Haruka back to his usual self no matter what it takes! Haruka is his only family after all . Apart from Youko, let's not forget her.

"I have come to ask you to break the contract, Ichinomiya Kantarou…And I am not taking no for an answer."

Air, the silver-haired lad needs air as he suddenly found it hard to breathe. Unconsciously, his hand had traveled up to his chest, slowly clutching it as if for support. Did he hear it right? Is Haruka actually asking for him to break the contract? This can't be happening, can it? What made him say that all of a sudden? He was acting funny. That night, as they were celebrating, Reiko-san, Youko-chan and even Haruka were having fun, weren't they? That night, was it possible that the reason why Haruka left without a word back then and now came back acting bitter like this was because the tengu was forced yet again to take care of a drunken person? Or maybe, with the silver-haired folklorist's intoxicated state, he unknowingly said some terrible things which infuriated Haruka? But no, it can't be that shallow, can it?

As Kantarou managed to recover from his daze and realized that the other was waiting for an answer, he lowered his eyes to the ground, unable to meet Haruka's dull and almost lifeless ones. No, he won't agree, he can't break the contract, he doesn't have the strength to do such, how can he when Haruka is all of what was left to him?

Lifting his chin and fixing his gaze on the ogre-eating tengu's face, Kantarou firmly spoke in a strong tone. "No, I will not. I will never break the contract Haruka."

As expected, the stoical tengu was still able to keep a straight face, despite the fact that his insides weren't as calm and composed as his outside.

"Then I'll make you…" was the tengu's cold and monotonous reply, his gaze, transfixed on his master, his facial expression, dead serious.

Kantarou meanwhile, simply smirked in response amidst the tense atmosphere, his scarlet eyes still retaining its brightness. He wasn't the least bit alarmed upon hearing Haruka's statement. That was to be expected, judging from his pride and his 'I-shan't-be-defeated-because-I-am-the-strongest' attitude, or simply put, the type who doesn't accept defeat. Oh, how he'd love to see just how Haruka will react to this next response though, as he too, got the perfect answer to block that statement, not to mention the exact attitude to match that of being persistent and of not surrendering.

Taking a deep breath, the silver-haired lad, with his flaming scarlet orbs, determinedly locked eyes with the ebony-haired tengu as he gave a rather unexpected out of the blue suggestion, or more like command.

"Then kill me."

--

"You did a splendid job of convincing him, my darling Sugino-sama. Now this will speed up the happenings and add spice to our dull and boring life, don't you just agree?"

Black-haired Sugino opted to stay silent, allowing the shapeless figure to get on with its usual monologue as a form of its emotional outburst. It was apparent this certain being carried a lot of burden locked up inside of it. And now was the only time that it was able to release its complaints. Unfortunately, no one was interested to hear its dramatic life story or to even hear out its opinions or perceptions. Even the birds refused to lend their ears to this pitiful whining creature. Truly pathetic indeed.

The figure then turned on its other prisoners, crystallized prisoners that is, and gave them a diabolical grin, its white teeth showing a stark contrast with its black figure.

"And now to the two of you, wait patiently for your turn, you'll soon be in the spotlight my dear low-level youkai schleps. As soon as you've served your purposes, you shall be disposed of in the quickest way possible. And as bonus, I'll try to make it painless for you."

The figure then turned to face the moon, marveling at its perfect round shape.

"Now, all that's left would be to wait for him, the main actor of this tragic play…"

Already assuming its victory, the figure released another grotesque and spine-tingling laughter, however, Youko and Moo-chan were devoid of reactions as they were crystallized. Despite being in that state though, the two were still perfectly aware of what was happening and both were dreading the worst.

--

"I have awakened…my memories…I think I got them back somehow…"

"Good for you, Onikui Tengu, you'll have to thank me for that, won't you?"

Haruka removed his hand from his forehead as he gradually felt the sensation of dizziness leaving him, only then did he became aware of what awaited for him next. Yes, his payment.

"What…do you want me to do?"

The black-winged tengu seemed to have lost his courage to face the very person responsible for giving back to him everything he had lost. It was because he could sense what was coming next. Freedom, what a joke. Even now he was still bound, forced yet again to do something he doesn't want to.

"Bring him to me…that is all I ask of you Onikui Tengu…and I shall deal with the rest."

The figure, which had now taken the image of the familiar blonde woman with a slender body and bright amber eyes, placed herself in front of the tengu to lock eyes with him, light versus darkness.

"Why…Why do you despise him so much? What has he done to deserve your wrath?"

"Why? Why must you know, is the question that I should ask of you, Onikui Tengu. Perhaps it won't be too late for me to warn you to mind your own business. Don't get yourself involved else you may just regret it. Believe me the show ends here for you, you've done your part well, now just be a good spectator and don't even think of interfering. Really, don't tell me you still have some concern left for that loathsome human even after regaining your past memories? You must be a lummox then, which only proves how my judgments have been right all along."

She leaned closer to the tall man, her index finger pointed at Haruka's chest.

"You weren't frightening to start with anyway, so what should I expect from a weak creature like you? Legends are just plain lies and bluffs, fiction interwoven with facts, distorting the truth and making it all the more twisted than it already is, made to scare people, to conquer them through the means of fear. To be honest, I didn't buy any of those rumors about you even before, the first time I have heard of it from him. I was actually hoping to duel with you someday, to prove that the said strongest of all youkai, the mighty, legendary, unbeatable, invincible, fearsome and all those sycophantic words of rubbish accompanying your name, is actually the opposite, a falsity. Oh don't get me wrong, I don't wish to gain fame by defeating you, I was just so fed up of feeding people with lies and unreliable false information that I—oh but never mind that now, as of the moment, my one goal remains my top priority. And as for me, there can only be one top priority. And that is to seek revenge…how common and cliché you say? As if I would………."

The woman's nonstop ranting was blocked out by Haruka's ears as he too, became engrossed with his own thoughts, to sort out his feelings and to determine of which side he'll choose.

'Ichinomiya Kantarou…somehow, something seems to be telling me to seek revenge on you…but why…why am I hesitating? What might be keeping me from—'

"And that was my whole plan, splendid and carefully thought of, wasn't it? Don't I deserve applause?"

Great. Haruka has just missed the opportunity of hearing the enemy's plan. Well, as if he could do something with that knowledge. Right now, he is just as helpless as his comrades are. Sugino, Moo-chan, Youko…They are all under this figure's control, even Haruka.

--

"Then kill me…"

Glare, the pale-skinned Kantarou only received a deadly glare from the black-winged tengu who made no move to follow. Of course, Haruka won't kill him, yet, especially since his master still refused to break the name bonding.

"What? Kill me, why don't you?! I'm not afraid to die…I'm not and I won't ever be, especially if it means escaping the pain of losing you…Besides, why should I allow myself to continue living if my existence bothers everyone so much? More importantly, why shouldn't I allow myself to die if there is no one for me to leave behind? Youko-chan…Haruka…You were all that I have left, and now that you were all taken away from me, what's the point of living?"

He can no longer hide his pain, his loneliness, he can't put up with his strong façade anymore. He was on the verge of breaking down, while the ebony-haired tengu only remained staring at him, unaffected by the other's words. With that impassive expression on his face and the dull and emptiness in his dark eyes, he looked down at the silver-haired lad with nothing but pity, cold pity that is.

"Haruka?" Kantarou attempted again, though he was only met with a harsh outburst, tone dripping with venom.

"Don't call me that!"

The tengu's loud and booming voice almost shook the whole residence as it reverberated all throughout the place. It was a miracle the neighbors didn't seem disturbed by the commotion considering the time, rather, they were completely oblivious and without a care.

Kantarou, still determined to bring Haruka back, stood up and approached the stiff tengu who made no move to back off. With a tear in his scarlet eye, the silver-haired lad reached up to caress Haruka's cold cheek.

"Come back…to me…Haruka…"

…

As if scorched by the folklorist's mere touch, Haruka swatted Kantarou's hand away violently, almost like a reflex, and he was even fighting the urge to push the lad away.

"I said, don't call me that…"

Finally, Kantarou was forced to take a few steps back, away from the still and motionless tengu, his hands slightly shaking, the soft sound of his socked feet having contact with the wooden floor, permeated the silent atmosphere, which was his only response to Haruka.

"I'll ask you again, Ichinomiya Kantarou…break the contract…"

'Or I'll make you…', was what Haruka would have said, however, he knew deep down that he wasn't capable of such so what was the point in saying it? Kantarou didn't notice that small detail though.

After a few more minutes of silence and merely staring at one another, Haruka decided to leave. He turned on his heel and headed for the door. But before his feet could even start walking, a pair of slender and milky arms imprisoned him, preventing him from leaving his spot. The black-winged tengu's eyes instantly went wide, his hands hanging limply on either side, confused of how to respond.

"Haruka, please stay here…Why…Why did you suddenly comeback like this? Won't you even care to tell me? Where is Youko? Why did you two leave like that? If you're somehow doing this to protect me—"

"Don't pride yourself into thinking I'd do something like that for your sake, Ichinomiya Kantarou. Now release me before I hurt you for real!"

"No I won't Haruka!"

Kantarou buried his face on the ebony-haired tengu's back, his hold tightening, his response an indication of his stubbornness as he disregarded what cold and hurtful words the tengu has uttered.

"Stay…away…"

Cold, empty, threatening, violent.

Kantarou could hear and feel it with the way Haruka pronounced every syllable, that he was forced to let go. Is this it? The end? The final goodbye? An eternal farewell?

Nothing.

Kantarou was left with nothing at all, as he watched Haruka disappear from his sight, the black-winged tengu's scent, his smile, his voice, his warmth, his presence, all fading away now.

"Haruka!"

The silver-haired lad ran to the doors when he suddenly felt a searing sensation on his chest, followed by a vibration which seemed to knock him out of air. He stumbled forward and fell, diving head first onto the soft mushy ground, his face now caked with mud. No wonder it felt cold a while ago, Kantarou failed to notice that it was actually raining, a downpour to be precise. Clutching his chest, he leaned on the wall for support, panting hard, his hair and his clothes dripping wet. If only he could somehow reach the door, then he could call out Haruka's name one more time.

Yes, one more time, it wouldn't hurt to try, would it?

An evil presence, Kantarou can feel it and his scar confirmed it as well. Who was it? Could it be the person responsible for Haruka's uncalled for awakening?

'Haruka—', was the folklorist's last thought before dropping to the ground, unconscious.

--

"He was pretty tough after all. I expected for him to do as you'll request Onikui Tengu, but it seemed as though I have underestimated the filthy brat. Never mind, I still have a back up plan anyway, as I didn't trust you would come out there successful."

The ogre-eating tengu growled, his hands showing his claws ready to slash the annoying woman. Yes, her insults have gone too far already, this is his pride they're talking about now. He can't afford to let it be trampled with for the second time.

"Oh my, and you even dare to think of taking me down? How ungrateful of you! Well, what's done is done, let bygones be bygones, let us just start anew again, shall we Onikui Tengu? Be thankful I even allowed you to live. Then again, you'll just be put to waste if disposed of now. I can see you might come in handy for the days to come. As they said, why not recycle a trash? Looking at you my dear, I can tell you haven't lost all your importance yet, so I may just as well keep you…for now…"

'Trash, eh? So you only see me as a mere trash.' Haruka thought with disdain, as he threw a look of pure venom and disgust to the laughing psychopath in front of him. If only looks could kill. Yes, you have probably heard of that statement a zillion times already, but that was what's inside the infuriated tengu's mind. That and nothing else.

**Next chapter, the action starts. More drama, more anguish, more pain and torment, and definitely, more BLOOD...see you next chapter! As always, I would appreciate it if you voice out comments through reviews! Thanks!**


	10. Glimpse

**A/N:** _Gah!!! It has been, what, eons since I've last updated. I'm truly sorry everyone! I feel so so so guilty. I sure have become quite a slacker lately. But you see, I have plenty of school stuffs to deal with not to mention personal matters as well and social dilemmas too…oh poor attempts of making up excuses anyway, please believe me, I won't EVER ABANDON this story. I will finish this till the end, fear not minna-san! In fact, I can already assure you this chapter has at least 5 more to go. As proof, the title of chapter 15 is "Rebirth", you'll see when we get there haha. So once again, please don't give up on me. I will definitely, absolutely, surely, positively, undoubtedly, certainly finish this story!_

**To the following people, I thank you guys once again:**

MintyFlake, Shiruji-chan, GoddesOfWrath, Lil-Miaka, Gettenshi, Gosangoku, Keiko-tama, ShadowLovers, Xicnar, Youkai of Hearts, buchouslvr, death adder, romaniv27, 20eKUraN08, AnimeFreak4261, Cyaplunc, Hiya120, Michi-chan2, Spirit's Whisper, Twilightpaw, amartist2, animelover52843, jadedj8, mierdacsm, zeair,all-the-good-ones-get-impaled,FangsSweetRevenge,Mayo2198,Mytho Del Rosa,fei kanata,Kamo113,Yami no Kaze.

To Lil-Miaka: _About your question, I guess you'll just have to find out for yourself lol. Though I'm still thinking about it and have not yet reached a decision haha._

To MintyFlake: _Waaah Gomen nasai! It seems it took me thrice as long to update this time. Please don't give up on this fanfic. I hope for your continuous support._

**Disclaimer:** _Tactics is not my property, I wish it was though , so that I could make Kantarou do this…and that…and those…and a few other things that he won't ever do in the real world lol…anyways, here's the next chapter…FINALLY…_

**Chapter 10: "Glimpse"**

"Name…What will my name be? What will I be called Master?"

Spoken with such tenderness, a voice so soft, the question humbly asked, excitement concealed.

A light chuckle, melodious and velvety, warm and kind, almost giving this floating sensation to anyone who would be fortunate enough to hear. Blessed, truly appropriate for someone created by him, him and his miraculous power.

"I wouldn't want to restrict you, please understand that without your name, you will be completely free, free to do as you wish, free to explore your potential."

Hurt, forsaken, neglected, wanting attention, affection, needing to feel comfort, importance, value.

"Master, freedom is not what I want, what I want is…"

"Ichinomiya-sensei? Are you feeling alright now?"

Groaning, Kantarou forced his eyes to open despite its protest in the form of dizziness. Groggy, confused, baffled, almost losing his recollection of the dramatic encounter with the ogre-eating tengu last night. 'Haruka', the silver-haired folklorist thought as he immediately sat upright, his hands automatically clutching his chest as he felt yet again the searing pain, only this time, it was mild and not as strong as that of last night. It appeared there were still remnants of that evil aura left lingering around the area which explained why his scar somewhat continued to throb like this up to now. What a strong presence!

"Sensei? Your fever seems to have gone down, thank goodness. Wait here, I'll get you something hot to drink."

With a sweet smile which was typical of Kantarou's editor, she stood up and slid the door open, but then stopped as she suddenly remembered something. "Oh by the way, you had a visitor a while ago. Rosalie dropped by and asked to see you. So I let her in your room as I went in the kitchen, but when I came back, she was gone. What a strange girl. Oh well, just thought I'd let you know." Humming cheerfully to herself, she proceeded to the kitchen leaving the door open.

"That dream…Rosalie…" The folklorist murmured to himself, trying to analyze something.

--

The British nymph stood motionless yet again in front of the Ichinomiya residence, hesitating to enter.

"I was…too late…"

Rosalie then turned on her heels, ready to leave when the door swung open revealing a frantic lady with long chestnut brown hair.

"Oh it's you again! Would you like to come and check on Ichinomiya-sensei? You can go ahead inside, he's awake now. But oh boy, that guy really can't survive when left alone in the house. He obviously needs some woman's help. Why, his kitchen doesn't even have sugar and his grocery supplies are rapidly being depleted. How could he even cook without the basic ingredients—oh pardon me. I'm sorry for blabbering at you like that. I guess I'll see you later then."

With one last wink and smile, Reiko took off for the market, taking pity on how the poor folklorist found himself abandoned with his grocery supplies in danger of being depleted. He got enough money alright, but with the way things are going right now, you can't expect to find him buying his groceries in a marketplace or can you?

Sighing, Reiko just thought to herself, if she won't be the one to help Kantarou, then who else will?

--

"Kan-chan! Help me! I can't breathe!"

"Muu-muu-Muu!!"

"Kantarou!! Kantarou!!"

"Kan-chan! Please do something!"

The silver-haired folklorist was finally awakened by familiar voices pleading him for help. He sat upright as he first observed his surroundings, trying to pinpoint the location of the voices. Purple roses was what dominated his vision, numerous flowers were spread on the ground of where he was sitting on, as if this was a garden of some sort.

"Youko-chan! Muu-chan! Sugino! Where are you?"

Evidently confused, he tried to suppress his growing anxiety, especially since he didn't hear Haruka's voice along with the others asking for help, which might mean he is—

"Ichinomiya Kantarou, how are you liking my world so far? Fantastic, superb, fascinating, splendid, don't you think?"

Just like what happened to the ebony-haired tengu, Kantarou also blinked as if to confirm the sudden apparition of an unfamiliar figure in front of him. "Ichinomiya-sensei, I heard you were looking for a source of income?" the figure mimicked in a soft and slightly trembling voice, indicating shyness. Then as she came nearer, light instantly bathed her features which showed her malignant bright amber eyes and long golden locks, her slender body dressed in a reddish evening gown this time around, and her face, it wasn't the least bit innocent looking, in fact, she wore a sly smirk that somehow gave off an evil aura. And that negative energy radiating from this figure already told Kantarou everything he needs to know that he need not ask who this figure is.

"So Ichinomiya Kantarou, did it ring any bells?"

The figure asked with a sneer, her face contained a dark almost murderous look, as if eager to dismember the silver-haired lad's body. Kantarou meanwhile, was beyond shocked. That girl, she was the one trying to brainwash him the other day! Though he'll have to admit, it was a rather cheap trick, as if anyone would fall for that! 'Especially me.' Kantarou shot her with a look of disgust and hate, as it suddenly became clear to him all. This woman also might be the flirt who dared implant her filthy lips on Haruka's precious and forbidden-to-be-touched-by-any-woman neck! How dare she even show herself to Kantarou now? For touching what's his, she will pay dearly! Wait, that was rather far-fetched. Now he sounded possessive, not to mention obsessive. 'That was odd…since when did I start thinking that way towards Haruka?', then it dawned on him. It can't be his thoughts, there's no way he'll ever think of Haruka in such a way. Yes, whatever would make the ogre-eating tengu happy, Kantarou wouldn't mind, if it's a woman he wants, then a woman he'll get. Same with his freedom, if it's his freedom he wants, then Kantarou will…Kantarou will…

"Ichinomiya Kantarou, as I've thought so, I was right all along. As expected, my judgments can never be wrong! You are just like your ancestors, possessive and self-centered for sealing the black-winged tengu like that!" For some reason, Kantarou's temper flared upon hearing this. He's had enough, this person, who is she to meddle with them like this? What does she know anyway?

"Oh did I prick you with my words in some way? Perhaps I should have tried talking to you in a nice way, shouldn't I? Believe me, I wasn't in any way trying to offend you, you filthy human, I was merely playing around. But then, I guess Ichinomiya-sensei hates games doesn't he? Very well, let's get a bit serious here. Care to have an adult tête-à-tête with me?" The figure then held out her hand, smiling maliciously, her bright amber eyes practically shouting the warning 'danger'. Kantarou meanwhile, made no move to accept the gruesome invitation. However, the woman was such a pushover that she insisted by adding, "Your friends are waiting for you Ichinomiya-sensei. Perhaps it will do them good if you accept my offer. There's this one other person waiting for you as well. You wouldn't want to disappoint him, would you?" She sneered once again which almost had Kantarou's fist diving onto her annoying-to-death face. Thanks to the silver-haired lad's calm nature, he was able to restrain himself from doing so. It is even unthinkable for someone as gentle as Kantarou to be punching someone anyway. Why, he can't even hurt a fly for crying out loud! Let alone punch a person. So this must only mean one thing, for the silver-haired lad to come this close to punching someone wanting to unleash his anger, it means he already ran out of patience and is probably so pissed off. But still, if he somehow did such a thing, there would be no telling of what might happen to him. News of a certain silver-haired folklorist dying in his sleep, which is suspected to be due to a nightmare, wouldn't sound pretty, would it? So Kantarou better watch out his moves and exert a bit of self-control.

Clenching his fists tight, Kantarou slowly bowed his head in defeat before managing to ease the spasms in his body as was caused by his anger. With this, the woman clapped her hands in victory then beckoned for the lad to follow her. "Good choice, by doing so, you've just saved your friends' lives. However, it still can't change the fact that they will soon meet their deaths. You've merely prolonged their pain. Unfortunately, I was never the type who spares weaklings. Not even you, Ichinomiya-sensei. No, maybe more like, especially you, Ichinomiya Kantarou, the source of all these catastrophes." Kantarou froze, not bothering to follow the woman anymore. Why was he being blamed again? What had he done? And why does this woman appear to hate him so much?

"Now now don't go sulking, we're almost there, I can barely wait to see your reaction. The show is about to start so cheer up and give me your most infuriated facial expression Ichinomiya-sensei. After all the efforts we've given, whether conscious of it or not, especially on your part, the ignorant and clueless one, we still can't have a boring and dull show. This tragic play is supposed to surpass that of all! It must have a touch of 100 percent reality and authenticity, filled with compassion and heated feelings, believable enough to call the attention of millions of audience. And now, you should get out there and give your very best act! We'll be waiting…" Once again, she grinned coquettishly, even batting her eyelashes, hoping to aggravate Kantarou to satisfy her. But no, the silver-haired tactician won't let himself lose like this. He wasn't labeled as such if he didn't earn it. However, all thoughts of fighting back vanished upon seeing Moo-chan, Sugino and Youko crystallized, placed right in front of him. Kantarou didn't even notice his location has been changed. He now stood before the huge rock boulders of where Haruka was sealed and at the same time released. This place made the silver-haired folklorist feel quite nostalgic, that day, as the sun was about to set, the vast skies bathed in orange, tranquility enveloping the woods, a certain silver-haired exorcist of the Ichinomiya clan stood before the rock boulders. His liquid scarlet eyes overflowing with hope and determination, thrill and anticipation, the rate of his heart beat almost racing with the speed of light, his mind occupied only with one thought and one alone. "Haruka."

"Haruka!"

Upon shouting the ogre-eating tengu's name, Kantarou's eyes flung open, as he was panting and gasping hard, his forehead full of beads of perspiration, he then heard voices, or rather Reiko's voice. Few seconds later, the door to his room slid open and in came Reiko, while he pretended to be asleep, his ears though, remained open and receptive for any necessary information. "Rosalie-chan? Now where did she go? Strange…" Looking down on the mug of hot chocolate she held, she just smiled to herself before she walked out of the folklorist's room again. "Oh well, maybe I'll just drink this hot chocolate to keep myself warm." As Kantarou heard the door slid close and his editor's footsteps fading away, he slowly opened his eyes then tried to sit up. But as he did so, he felt his scar throb painfully yet again that he was driven to lay down on his futon, the unbearable pain rendering him unconscious and once again, plunging himself into another realistic nightmare.

--

"They're waiting for you Ichinomiya-sensei. Are you just going to lay in there staring at the ceiling, pretending to be asleep ignoring their agonized cries and desperate pleas for help? How cruel…and you even call yourself their master…you're a coward, a weakling, a wimp, a good-for-nothing earthling! You can't protect anyone because you're not strong enough!"

"I was…too late…"

Long curly blond hair, black ribbons on each side, big emerald green eyes, black dress, the British Nymph Rosalie! Wait, where is she going? "Come back Rosalie-chan! Hasumi-san has been worried sick of your sudden disappearance! Don't go! Matte-yo Rosalie-chan!"

"That's right, good girl, just keep going and he'll soon follow you…Ichinomiya Kantarou, don't you want to save her? What about your other friends? Don't they matter to you anymore? What about…Haruka? Are you willing to give up on him? Rather, to give him to me instead?"

"You-You again! Give him back! Give them all back!" The figure just laughed, sending chills running down the folklorist's spine, the woman had this crazed look on her face yet again, as if being possessed by an evil spirit of some sort. Her previously gorgeous features as her mask was now ripped off only to reveal her true colors. "Then make me…"

"Ichinomiya-sensei?"

"Don't call me like that! Don't! Don't! Don't--"

SLAP!

Kantarou blinked, his scarlet eyes wide with fear, his body trembling, his pale cheek now reddish with Reiko's slap which left quite a mark.

"R-Reiko-san?"

Reiko then sighed, relieved, gently, she pulled the shocked folklorist up to stand on his feet, checking to see if he had already recovered somehow. "Are you having a nightmare sensei? That was quite…" The chestnut brown-haired editor's voice trailed off as she found herself at a loss for the appropriate word. "Some nightmare it was. It all seemed real to me. Like this was a message…"

Kantarou did not finish his sentence as realization hit him, his scarlet eyes growing wider than it already was. He then broke from Reiko's hold and headed straight for the door without a word. "Sensei where do you think you're going? You're not even—" "Have you seen Rosalie-chan?" The urgency in the silver-haired lad's tone told Reiko that it's no use stopping him that she was forced to answer instead. "She came by again a while ago, just before I went to buy groceries. Why? Did something happen? I told her to feel free to come in though…" Without any more word, Kantarou headed for the door. "S-Sensei?" Reiko tried once more. Yet Kantarou made no move to face her, but he stopped though. "Reiko-san, I appreciate your help. But for now, I really need to go…" "Sensei…" With that, Kantarou took off despite his weak condition, ignoring his wobbling knees, he broke into a run, thinking of nothing but Haruka. He's worried about Rosalie too alright, Hasumi's threats did work out somehow, but Haruka will always be on top of his list.

--

The sun was beginning to set, gallantly giving up its position for the moon, as if already reaching a mutual agreement of knowing when their time will be up. And now, the ebony-haired tengu sat quietly on the huge rock boulders, his black wings cascading on his back, his dark eyes looking somewhat somnolent. He remained seated there as he recalled that day, it was almost the same as today, he was also waiting for Kantarou, the very human who infiltrated his heart and disturbed his dormant emotions. The very human who showed him a different kind of world, a world he never thought would be capable of existing as real. The very human who gave him such warmth and concern, such tenderness and care that he never thought he would be worthy of receiving. Kantarou, his master, who named him as strong, far stronger than any other youkai, Haruka, the one who will give Kantarou strength.

Revenge. Does he still need to carry out revenge? Does Kantarou deserve such? He wasn't even the one responsible for sealing him to begin with so why would Haruka need to seek revenge on him? Master, is Kantarou still his master, now that he has been awakened and has regained some of his memories? Perhaps Kantarou still is, Haruka didn't mind, after all, the folklorist isn't that bad a master if you think about it.

"Black-winged one, don't just sit there like a lazy lizard, prepare your self to fight!"

The woman's severely annoying voice cut through the tengu's thoughts. Great. There goes the big-breasted witch again, this time, minus the description of gorgeous. She was more of an eye sore really.

"Fight who?"

The black-winged tengu questioned, testing the woman's own patience, if he could just somehow make her feel the annoyance she's causing him, then that would undoubtedly make him satisfied at least.

"Who else you fool! You need not ask! Birdbrain…"

This time, Haruka was unable to control his anger, his blood was past its boiling point, his heart vibrating madly and it won't return to normal unless he unleash this violent feeling on the source of it all, the figure standing right there in front of him, freely throwing insults at him, not the least bit scared to be slashed in half by the tengu's razor sharp claws. Yes, it has been such a long time indeed since he last used his claws, that woman would make a nice slice of meat. However, before the black-winged tengu could even strike her, he suddenly felt his head being plagued by voices, voices chanting weird spells which somehow made him lose his sanity, letting his beastly side to take over.

"Nooo!!! Kan…ta…rou…!!!"

Grabbing his head, his wings flapping wildly, he slowly began to ascend and gain altitude, not too high though, as he continued to fight the awakening. He thrashed violently from side to side as he caught a glimpse of the woman below him, her lips moving rapidly, as if in a chant.

"S-Stop!" Haruka growled, gradually losing his senses. If this goes on, there's no telling what he might do once he sees Kantarou…

"You dare fight me black-winged one? Then witness my power and see for yourself the vast difference. You have absolutely no chance of defeating me."

She then walked towards the long flight of steps leading below, her bright amber eyes twinkling in delight upon seeing the approaching silver-haired lad. With a devilish and obsessed look on her face, she smirked then muttered to herself.

"Now for the final act then, the long-awaited main actor of this tragic play, Ichinomiya Kantarou, has finally arrived. A round of applause for you, you unfortunate being, you have just walked in your demise. So now, you die…"

--

'Haruka! Haruka! Haruka!'

Kantarou ignored his aching muscles' complaints as he continued to climb the long flight of stairs leading to the huge rock boulders, the shrine, the place where he had released the legendary ogre-eating tengu. His fear was beyond measure at the thought of what might have become of his ebony-haired companion. He prayed and prayed hard for the tengu not to be hurt.

'I'll protect you Haruka…This I won't fail…This I vow to you…'

He quickened his steps further as he saw the familiar figure of the tengu, with his black wings flapping vigorously as he remained suspended in midair. 'Haruka, what's happening? He seemed as if in pain. Just wait, I'm coming for you!'

"Not so fast Ichinomiya-sensei…You'll have to deal with me first." Kantarou was forced to stop upon reaching the top, since his path was blocked by the persistent woman. Now what does the witch want?

"Poor Haruka, he needs my help, I must go to him now!" The woman mimicked in a small, high-pitched voice, seeing as how intently Kantarou was staring at the squirming tengu. "Alright then, I will no longer meddle with this scene. Since this will be the final act, I supposed it's only right and fair enough if I let you two share your 'sweet moment' for the last time together. I'd say you'd better enjoy it, Ichinomiya Kantarou." True to her word, the woman sauntered away as if to clear the stage for them, and that was when Haruka finally managed to calm down a bit, his feet now touching the ground.

"Haruka!"

Kantarou wasted no time to call the tengu's attention. This has got to end immediately, so they could get on with their peaceful lives, make plenty of memories together and enjoy what little time was left of the lad's life span as a human. With Haruka, it'll be enough. He wouldn't mind starving with Haruka, then again, perhaps it would still be better if he gain some money to avoid starving themselves instead of—

"What are you waiting for black-winged one? Finish him off!" The woman yelled, as she began to lose her patience that she yawned to herself. "This is starting to bore me. Perhaps I'd best interfere, to spice it up and make it even more exciting!" Chanting rapidly again, her words barely audible, she directed her palm towards Haruka, her eyes wide-opened as she can no longer conceal her anticipation and excitement.

"W-What the—"

Kantarou wasn't able to finish his sentence as he saw Haruka's staff now moving on its own, ready to attack its oblivious owner. "Haruka! Look out!" The tengu remained motionless on his spot, as if deaf to Kantarou's warnings.

"Haruka!!!"

"Die!!!"

Blood, bright red, crimson, vermillion dominated the tengu's vision, his suit now stained, his hands gripping something warm and…wet ,sticky, Haruka's hands were now soaked in warm blood as he became aware, it wasn't his blood. It was…

"Foolish human…such a pathetic way to end your life, using your body as a shield. Oh well, that was what I intended to do in the first place anyway. You've made my job easier. So I guess I can say everything worked out accordingly! The play was a success, wasn't it black-winged one?"

No response.

How can he when he was too shocked to even breathe? What with the bloody sight of his master in front of him, Kantarou's back stabbed by his very own staff. Guilt. Regret. Grief. Anger. Fury. His emotions were a mixture of everything! His head being assaulted by millions of questions, as he tried to come up with a single reason as answer to his own query.

"H-Haruka…I'm…Listen…I want to…Free you…That's why…I'll break…The con…"

Kantarou was unable to continue speaking as he coughed some more blood that Haruka carried the lad in his arms, his face has a horrified look on it, his dark eyes found it hard to stare at his blood-soaked master especially seeing the difficulty of the latter he could barely breathe.

"H-Haruka will no longer…be your…name…" Kantarou continued weakly, gasping in pain while struggling to speak that Haruka had to turn away. He wanted to tell Kantarou to stop, stop and don't give up, that he'll live and everything will turn out fine, just as always. That this is just another hard challenge their group has encountered. That it will all be over soon, this big nightmare. Yet he somehow lost his voice to say all those he was wanting to say. For some strange reason, Haruka seemed to have become speechless.

This was just like his dream, his dream that he took no notice of not knowing it was actually a sign, a warning that he had took for granted. Haruka was surprised furthermore however, upon feeling a soft hand fumbling on his pocket, as if searching for something, until he finally got a hold of it.

"I see…you have…kept the…figurine I g-gave you…t-take good care of it…"

With that, Kantarou gave one last smile and breath, before his hands went limp on both sides, lifeless, his long white delicate fingers no longer moving. Indeed, this was just like that dream, and Haruka now regret ever ignoring it.

"Kantarou…"

He whispered, dazed, not believing what just happened. It was a wonder he even managed to keep the folklorist in his arms, not dropping his lifeless body as the tengu lost all strength he had. So he knew how Haruka had placed the sparkling figurine on his pocket before carrying the drunken lad to his room that night. Was he really even drunk by then? Or was he merely pretending to get the tengu to sleep right next to him? Never mind that now, it won't matter anymore. Because Kantarou is…Kantarou is…

--

The silver-haired lad felt his chest throbbing painfully, extremely painful that is, that he can't even bring his eyes to open.

It was just like that time, that time that he thought his old wound has been reopened.

That time he thought he had lost Haruka in the fire for good.

That time he felt blood coming out of his mouth instead of his voice calling out Haruka's name.

Back then, he felt himself gradually weakening, rapidly losing his life, his breath came in ragged gasps, his heart beating slower…and slower…and slower…then coming to a complete and permanent stop.

Failure.

Yes, failure to take notice of that warning had cost him his life. Now, it was too late for him to regret ignoring it. Too late indeed.

--

**A/N:** A bonus for you guys! Starting from now, I'll be posting a preview of the next chapter to keep you all informed and assured that there REALLY is a next chapter lol. Well, here it is now! I'll be expecting your reviews by the way, let me know if you want Kantarou DEAD or ALIVE bwahahahaha...

**Chapter 11: Nirvana *Preview*:**

'Sometimes Kantarou can be so unfathomable...'

Haruka thought, his dark eyes still transfixed in the skies, when without warning, a vision of his master's face, with the usual liquid scarlet eyes brimming of joviality, his thin pink lips curled into a perfectly innocent smile making him appear all the more younger than he really is, appeared dominating the orange-colored skies. Startled, Haruka shook his head lightly, his eyes blinking twice as if to get rid of the hallucination. Then for the second time, he glanced up to confirm what he had seen. This time, his master's face was no longer floating up there.

'Kantarou...'


	11. Nirvana

**A/N:** _Greetings minna-san! I've been raised from the dead! *Er—typical excuse of a writer who is actually just slacking off* Please continue to support me, your reviews are all that's making me survive in this cruel, cruel world. So please take your time to drop a word or two to cheer up this gloomy and depressed soul. I thank you all in advance! *And you still have the nerve to demand reviews? (o_0)* Quiet! You!!! –faces the audience and gives them a charming smile- Never mind that voice lol. Review please!_

**To the following people, thank you very much! :** _buchouslvr, death adder, FangsSweetRevenge, fei kanata, Gettenshi, Gosangoku, hwang111, I love yoai, Keiko-tama, Lil-Miaka, LunarYamiDemon, Mayo2198, Mytho Del Rosa, romaniv27, ShadowLovers, Shiruji-chan, UchihaLove89, Xicnar, YamiHikari Love, Youkai of Hearts, 20eKUraN09, abhorsen228, AnimeFreak4261, animelover52843, Cyaplunc, Daemon-In-White, GoddesOfWrath, Hiya120, jadedj8, Kamo113, Kumiko Coamenel, Michi-chan2, mierdacsm, MintyFlake, Spirit's Whisper, Twilightpaw, Yami no Kaze, zeair_

**And to the reviewers of the last chapter, thanks very much!:** _Kitcat (Yo! Thanks for appreciating my story, hope to hear more from you. –smileys-), Twilightpaw (Hihi, Kantarou's not just cute, he's super adorable, ne? -winks-), MintyFlake (Waaah kowaii!! Sorry it took me this long to update. Well, here's the next chap though haha.)_

**Disclaimer: It saddens me not to own Tactics, perhaps in my next life I will acquire greater creativity to invent a masterpiece of my own such as this for my self-fulfillment…**

**Chapter 11: "Nirvana"**

Blurred, groggy, dizzy, Kantarou gradually lost his grip on his pen and it fell down on his side, the folklorist still not noticing as his head continued to move up, down, up, down. Any moment now, he might give in entirely to sleep and there is no telling where his head might land, or rather, of how strong will the impact be once his forehead fall straight for the hard concrete of which was the wooden desk, the ever reliable furniture that compensated for the alarm clock's absence.

It was quiet and awfully peaceful save for Kantarou's snores floating in the air, as the folklorist continued in such a state, a slothful state known as procrastinating when without warning, the door of his room slid open roughly, revealing an angered fox demon, her fists clenched tight, ready to pound on the silver-haired lad's head if necessary.

"I thought so, that's why it's unusually quiet in here. Kan-chan is drifting off in dreamland again without even the decency to finish work first! Ever the—"

"Haruka!!!" Kantarou suddenly cried, his head jerked upwards, his eyes flung open, his hands banged hard on the wooden desk loud enough to startle Youko.

"Kan-chan! What the heck—"

It was then that the folklorist became aware of another presence in his room, turning around, he even managed to give the fox youkai a cheery greeting, unaware that he had completely wasted his time sleeping which was supposed to be spent writing.

"Youko-chan, ohayou! What's cooking? Strange, my stomach feels ready to accommodate a hundred cup of rice right about now. What an unusual appetite. Really, how come I suddenly feel as though drained of strength, like I had just fought with an incredibly strong youkai of some sort?"

Noticing Youko's lack of response, Kantarou stopped speaking only to face dark purple eyes glinting dangerously, the fox youkai's teeth gritted as she struggled to keep her anger from erupting.

_'Uh-oh looks like she caught me red-handed. No use explaining…'_

Raising his hands up as a gesture of surrender, the folklorist tried to explain. "Y-You see, I wasn't aware that I actually fell asleep like that, it wasn't intentional believe me…"

"No food for you today Kan-chan! Not until you finish at least one hundred pages first! Remember, not even a single grain of rice will be spared for you if you continue on procrastinating. It's time you learn your lesson for good!"

Hands crossed firmly over her chest, the fox youkai marched out of her master's room with her head held up high, muttering incoherently under her breath as she tried to silently vent out her frustration.

"…never change, him and his tactician's ways…" were what Kantarou's ears have caught as Youko continued to shake her head while letting herself out of the folklorist's room, sliding the door shut rather violently.

Silence once again descended upon his room as soon as Youko was gone and it prompted Kantarou to slip into slothfulness again. Lying with his back against the wooden floor, Kantarou raised one arm and allowed it to rest on his forehead as he struggled to remember his strange dream, which for some reason, appeared authentic enough to be mistaken as something that truly happened. Yet try as he might, anyone with an empty stomach won't be able to think clearly, and he is in no different state presently. Shifting on his side and dropping his arms slyly, the silver-haired lad sighed, crimson eyes glum and lips curled into a forlorn frown.

"No food huh…"

--

"That's it! I quit!"

Kantarou, with determination brimming in those crimson orbs of his, stood firmly as he tossed his pen aside carelessly. Behind him, Reiko remained seated, not the least bit alarmed of the folklorist's sudden declaration.

_'As if this doesn't happen everyday…'_

She then sighed in exasperation as she allowed her slender fingers to run down the length of her silky chestnut brown hair out of old habit. 'Really, Kantarou and his never ending complaints, not to mention his capriciousness. One of these days, someone has got to put a stop to his impulses.'

And that someone can't be her.

"Sensei you can always try writing some other time. Don't force to squeeze words out of your mind if there aren't any coming out. That would only ruin your article even more, not to mention damage your brain. What you must do is to first allow yourself to be in a good mood, your state of mind cleared and not chaotic—focused is the exact term—concentration, as they say. You must lengthen your short span of attention—"

"I said I'm quitting Reiko-san, quitting for good! I'm so fed up of always having to rush myself to finish rapidly-reaching-the-deadline articles! It has been torturing my brain severely! I think I need a break, a permanent break to be precise."

Reiko was beyond shocked upon hearing his words that she was unable to respond quickly. How could the folklorist abandon his only source of income just like that? Acting all nonchalant and not the least bit worried at all. And besides, isn't it his passion to write and to learn more about the Japanese Folklore? Or perhaps, he only seemed interested in it before for the sole reason of finding his 'Haruka'?

"Worry not Reiko-san, I don't plan to starve to death. I have a family to feed, remember? And a big one at that. Sometimes it even gives me a feel of running an orphanage with our ever-growing family. But it doesn't matter, earning money isn't that hard anyway. Besides, if you must know, I have a side job to compensate for my writing work, and believe it or not, that side job has saved us numerous times. Therefore, I won't think twice to depend on it as it alone can give us sufficient financing. Another thing, I'm pretty sure Youko will volunteer to get a job herself. She's fond of keeping her hands busy anyway, and staying in the house doing chores and all those boring monotonous tasks of housekeeping only saddens her. So see? It's no problem! Nothing can possibly stop me from quitting now!"

Kantarou once again sat beside Reiko as an evil smirk spread across his face, the usual familiar glint of mischief saturating his crimson orbs as he continued to speak. "There is one more thing that is keeping me this confident Reiko-san. I was hoping not to mention this to you, but seeing as you're worried and all, I might as well let you know my ultimate weapon."

"Ul-timate weapon?" Reiko just stared at him blankly, not catching the other's drift.

"Hai Reiko-san. I'm certain you have noticed Haruka's good looks. As we all know, he is one devilishly gorgeous creature."

Kantarou explained, unconsciously rubbing his chin, his crimson eyes dancing in amusement with the mere thought of Haruka's 'handsomeness'. Meanwhile, Reiko narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"I don't see where you're going with this…"

Until a thought popped into her head, one dark, dangerous thought. "Masaka…Don't tell me, you're—you're going to sell Haruka-san's body? How could you—" The woman gasped in obvious shock, hands covering her mouth in horror. While Kantarou raised his hand and shook his head in disagreement, his face clearly showing his restraint to laugh at the absurdity of the ideas entering his editor's head.

"Not that silly Reiko-san. Anyway, my ultimate and secret weapon need not be known by anyone else aside from me. And since I am Haruka's master, I can do away with him whatever I want. I can use him, an asset, to do my bidding." Kantarou then let out a diabolical laugh while his editor only stared at him with dismay, thinking_ 'I never thought he could be this evil, a certified usurper indeed.'_

"Sensei, exploitation will definitely harm you one of these days." Was what Reiko managed to say amidst Kantarou's loud heinous laughter.

"Who says I'm exploiting? I am merely putting my resources to good use. And if you mean that thing about Haruka, like I even dare do such. As my asset, I, the owner the master, will not allow any harm to befall on my possessions. Ahahahahaha!"

Reiko could only sweat-drop as she fought to stay silent, keeping her opinions to herself.

_'Possessions, huh…'_

--

That afternoon…

"Just where do you plan on taking me Kantarou? You've been dragging me around here for some time now. You know how much I dislike crowded places such as this."

"Be more patient Haruka, we'll get there when we get there, soon enough."

The folklorist answered somewhat mysteriously as he continued to pull Haruka with him, his rather small hands clasping the tengu's tightly, as though afraid to lose him in the jostling crowd of people populating the messy and busy marketplace while his eyes quickly scanned every store they passed by. Upon catching sight of the word 'URANAI' printed in big bold letters above a particular store, Kantarou immediately stopped and stood in front of it, his hand still clasping Haruka's tightly, as if securing him in place.

"Is this it? What would fortune-telling contribute to us right now Kantarou?"

Haruka wasn't given the chance to say more as his master already dragged him inside, pushing the door open only to hear the sound of clinking bells announcing their arrival to the store owner.

"A customer, eh?"

Haruka was forced to keep his opinions to himself upon hearing a rather husky voice belonging to that of an old woman, typical of a fortune-teller, always in the image of a frail yet mysterious old woman, this person right here is no different.

"A friend has recommended you, lady fortune-teller, saying your skills are truly remarkable as your predictions came out exactly as you have foreseen. And now, I come here out of curiosity to see for myself about your skills, and of course, to ask for your assistance as well. And to be honest, I particularly picked your place upon knowing you don't charge your customers with anything. Standing here before you now, you must have noticed our poor financial status. Therefore, if you would be so kind as to lend your knowledge to us, unguided destitute souls, we would be forever grateful."

Kantarou said with a slight bow indicating respect to the old woman. All the while, the fortune-teller's eyes kept scrutinizing the taller lad standing motionless behind the other, her actions clearly stating out her interest on the man wearing a handsome western-style suit.

"Destitute? I think not sensei, in fact, from what I can see, you are truly wealthy." The old woman answered mysteriously, eyes sharply trained on the oblivious tengu who appeared to be studying the store's surroundings.

On the other hand, Kantarou chose to mask his confusion instead by giving the fortune-teller a well-practiced smile of politeness.

"I never thought I could be seen as someone wealthy. Though perhaps you are right lady fortune-teller, I do possess a few treasures here and there anyway. Precious treasures that not even money can compensate."

"Oh please sensei, you need not address me as a lady, calling me Madam would be fine. And you are right, you do have in you a lot of precious treasures. I would advise you to value them with all your heart. And as for the payment, indeed, I don't charge my customers anything unless they be kind enough to offer me something out of gratitude."

As Kantarou continued to exchange polite words with the old woman, Haruka was left of nothing better to do that he instead examined the place. It was then he noticed how homey it appeared, with only little decorations here and there, giving a dark and gloomy atmosphere, again, typical of its kind. What more could you expect from a fortune-telling store anyway?

"Then I must compliment you on your generosity to aid us for free, Madam."

Haruka heard Kantarou say as his dark eyes returned on his master's small and slender back, fighting the urge to pull the silver-haired lad with him out of this place.

"The pleasure is all mine sensei. After all, for someone as old and frail like me, this would be the only help I could offer. As you can see I am not fit to battle evil spirits nor am I capable of releasing sealed creatures from their slumber, aren't I?"

With an enigmatic smile, the old woman once again stared back at the folklorist, waiting to see his reaction.

The ogre-tengu though, was startled with the old woman's accuracy in determining their identities. Was that perchance pure coincidence or just profound knowledge she has gained from that so-called fortune-telling ability of hers? Haruka almost can't bring himself to believe it. Stealing a sidelong glance at his master, he saw that Kantarou was able to keep a straight face as he too, smiled back at the old woman. If the folklorist was shocked as well, he was pretty good at concealing it.

"Yes, you are correct. It was good of you to think of your ability in such a way." was Kantarou's cool reply.

The old woman chuckled before beckoning for them to move closer, she particularly trained her eyes on Haruka, whom she sensed disliked the art of divination, or rather, does not believe in it.

"Young man, as it seems you appeared to be in high spirits, would you mind if I start with you first? I must warn you though that my predictions are not to be taken lightly as they may be close to the truth, if not entirely accurate, and may at some point, transpire in your life. However, your future can still be altered depending on the choices you'll make in the present. In the end, all my ability could do is to warn you and to guide you. It doesn't see something permanent, only something bound to happen which can still be changed in accordance to your course of actions in the present. I hope we're clear on that."

"Clear we are, Madam. I assure you I understand your meaning perfectly."

It was then that the old woman began reading Kantarou's fortune.

--

"Nirvana…Mirage…Rebirth…What was that about Haruka? Any ideas?"

Hot eyes grow narrow, feels increasingly annoyed by the moment.

"Ask yourself Kantarou."

The other pouts, hands cross over his chest, head bows low.

"But I somehow can't get what it means."

About to yell, but thinks otherwise, instead the taller man quickens his pace as he proceeds to answer the other calmly.

"Maybe if you keep yourself quiet, you could concentrate in thinking about its meaning. How do you expect to comprehend those words anyway if you keep on whining and complaining like that?"

Hits the bull's eye, the smaller man slumps, his pace slows down, his hands hang limp on both sides, a wary sigh escapes his thin pink lips.

"I think I'll do that."

Few moments of silence, the taller one walks ahead with the other trudging behind him, mind wandering, the smaller one then opens his mouth.

"Ha—"

Stops, closes his mouth before mosquitoes and other unwanted flying insects enter, then bows his head low, changing his mind in the last minute. The taller one walking ahead slightly tilts his head sideward, sees how his master was doing. To his dismay, finds the lad halfway to sleep. Dark eyes widen, feet comes to a complete stop, the smaller one continues, oblivious of the body blocking his way.

SLAM!

The smaller one looks up, scarlet eyes droopy, he stifles a soundless yawn, hands press on the taller man's chest.

Busted.

"Drooled enough?"

The smaller one's cheeks redden, shakes head vigorously to wake himself up. He stammers, he stutters, yet remains unsuccessful in explaining himself articulately. The taller one looks down with an impassive face. He grows tired of watching. He drags the smaller one with him. He begins to take the tired lad back home.

"H-Haruka!"

The smaller one protests, he pouts, he frowns, he scowls and makes all kinds of funny faces, he resists the taller one's pulls. Yet he still gets dragged. The other keeps on ignoring him.

"Day is over, I'm taking you home. You obviously need some rest. You could barely walk without bumping into something. How troublesome, walking with an immature, visually impaired, rapidly aging person such as you is truly mortifying. "

The taller one declares nonchalantly, dark eyes stare ahead, as he continues to pull with him the smaller one, who was apparently, hurt by the other's words which were only meant as a joke, unbeknownst to the stubborn younger one.

"Take that back Haruka! What you said really hurts you know!"

Wanting to annoy the taller man, or rather, slightly hoping for the other to carry him in his arms, the smaller lad lets his legs go wobbly, losing their motion and gradually sinking to the ground.

"That won't work. Nothing will. Now get up and be a good boy, lest you'd want to sleep on the streets tonight Kantarou."

The taller man seems unaffected by the other's actions. The smaller lad hisses in annoyance as he follows the other dejectedly.

"Wow, who is the master huh?" The smaller one says as he quickens his pace.

"Is that a declaration for a race Kantarou?" The taller man watches the other's shift in movement as he, too picks up his pace.

"No fair racing with you! For sure you'll just use your chicken wings."

"You sound envious. Too bad you don't have them. But I do. So why not use it to my advantage? Like how a certain tactician here uses all his resources to good use, as he claimed it."

The smaller lad gasps, sharply turns his head to look at the other, disbelief obviously printed on his face.

"You eavesdropper! That's against the law you know!"

"What law?"

"The Ichinomiya Residence law!"

"Who cares. It's not like you're going to kick me out, right Kantarou? You are just too kind to do such a thing. Or should I say, if it's with me, you're unable to do it?"

The smaller lad's face immediately swells red, a volcanic eruption soon to follow.

"You—You—"

"Yes Kantarou?"

"You are someone I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life with…" The smaller one says in a voice barely above a whisper, his scarlet eyes drop to the ground, unable to face the other.

"…"

"Figures. Haruka always gets speechless whenever I say something like that." A laugh follows from the smaller one while the other remains speechless. Yet a hint of a smile forms on his lips.

The sun sets, the moon rises, the sky now darkens, the stars invade it, birds nowhere to be seen, bats begin to scatter, houses grow silent, lights being turn off, its occupants climb to their beds, covers pull up high to warm their cold bodies, eyes slowly closing, now they are all gently snoring.

--

Another peaceful and ordinary afternoon, the Ichinomiya Residence basked in tranquility. On the roof sat Haruka, observing the orange-hued skies and the fiery yellowish orb creating different colors in the clouds, one hand holding a recently bought figurine by his master, claiming it was a gift, for what? Well, the silver-haired folklorist was having trouble explaining himself back then. All Haruka could understand and remember was his master's cheeks reddening with that sheepish grin plastered on his face, and his disturbing gesture of hiding his hands behind his back which almost made the tengu feel quite nervous. Who knows what dangerous, silly thing Kantarou might be hiding from him? With Ichinomiya Kantarou, you never know.

And then, upon demanding for some sort of explanation for his weird behavior of keeping his hands out of view like that, the tengu only received a series of vowels being spouted at him coupled with steam being emitted from his ears, nose and mouth. For the ogre-eating tengu's ears though, his master's answer doesn't make sense at all. He couldn't understand a thing.

_'Sometimes, Kantarou can be so unfathomable.'_

Haruka thought, his dark eyes still transfixed in the skies, when without warning, a vision of his master's face, with the usual liquid scarlet eyes brimming of childish joviality, his thin pink lips curled into a perfectly innocent smile making him appear all the more younger than he really is, appeared dominating the orange-hued skies, audaciously occupying the sun's spot. Startled, Haruka shook his head lightly, his eyes blinking twice as if trying to clear his vision and dispel whatever sorcery was cast upon him, if ever there was. Then for the second time, he glanced up to confirm what he had seen. Thank goodness his master's face was no longer floating up there.

Meanwhile, the kitchen is flooded with an entirely different mood. Youko, with a frown on her face, rummaged through the cupboard, hoping to find anything edible, or cook-able. Unfortunately, food is rare these days, for the Ichinomiya Residence only though.

"Kan-chan! And you dare even quit your job as a writer! How do you expect for us to cope up like this? Really, once I get paid, I won't spare you a single cent."

Apparently, the usual cheery and radiant fox demon, acting as the housekeeper and mediator of the Ichinomiya Residence, now isn't in a very fine mood.

Last stop, the famous, slothful, evasive, sneaky, avaricious—rather, Ichinomiya Kantarou's room. It was extremely quiet, inside the four-cornered walls of the young folklorist's room, nothing could be heard, except perhaps, a pin drop. The windows were closed unwelcoming breeze from the outside and limiting the rays of the sun from shining incandescently through the gloomy room. On the wooden floor, crumpled papers were scattered everywhere, indicating how messy the owner of the room is. The silver-haired lad wasn't even aware that one of his ink bottles had somehow been knocked off from the desk and so its black contents now tainted the once spotless wooden floor. How can he when he was asleep the whole time?

Yes, asleep, Ichinomiya Kantarou was in deep slumber, gently snoring, his youthful face the perfect picture of serenity and contentment, as he appeared to be dreaming of something pleasant, his mind drifting…floating…submerged in an abstract labyrinth of emotions and mixed sensations.

One way of escaping, one way of running from reality, away from your own demons, is to lose yourself in the maze of time, interwoven with reality and fantasy, illusion and dreams magnified and mirrored, eyes closed but seeing, seeing through your mind, through your thoughts. And this is known as…sleeping.

--

**A/N:** _Four more chapters to go! Bear with me minna-san! Please see this through the end. Here's a sneak peek for the next chapter!_

**Chapter 12: "Retrospect" *Preview***

No pain, he felt no pain at all. Was it perhaps because he is already dead? But then he noticed he was moving, though his feet can't touch any concrete grounds. And then he heard it, wings flapping, the rush of winds, the cold breeze caressing his cheeks, his hair being blown gently.

Yes, he was flying.

"It was me…It was me all along…I did it…I was the one who hurt you…Your scar…It was my own doing…I'm…sorry…"


	12. Retrospect

**Thanks to the following people again! :** _buchouslvr, death adder, FangsSweetRevenge, fei kanata, Gettenshi, Gosangoku, hwang111, I love yoai, Keiko-tama, KitsuNova, Lil-Miaka, LunarYamiDemon, Mayo2198, Mytho Del Rosa, romaniv27, ShadowLovers, Shiruji-chan, UchihaLove89, Xicnar, YamiHikari Love, Youkai of Hearts, 20eKUraN09, abhorsen228, AnimeFreak4261, animelover52843, Cyaplunc, Daemon-In-White, GoddesOfWrath, Hiya120,iShiznitch, jadedj8, Kamo113, Kumiko Coamenel, Michi-chan2, mierdacsm, MintyFlake, Spirit's Whisper, Twilightpaw, Yami no Kaze, zeair_

**And to those who reviewed the last chapter:** _iShiznitch , Lil-Miaka, Youkai of Hearts_

_Hope to hear from others as well! I eagerly await for your reviews!_

**Disclaimer: Tactics WON'T EVER BE MINE!!!!**

**Chapter 12: "Retrospect"**

Feathers, he could see feathers raining down outside, some of it falling onto the grassy ground, some landing on the cobbled path of the garden, while others stayed on the pond, afloat on the water's surface. The single fish inhabiting the small body of water oblivious of the silent intrusion of a foreign object as it created only a slight disturbance of tiny ripples on the pond.

The black furry feathers immediately caught the curious child's interest as he slowly approached the pond to take a closer look at the mysterious object. Odd, he had never seen anything like it before, this feather was unlike those belonging to a bird's wings which he would often see flapping wildly outside of his windows every morning. So then, what kind of creature could have feathers this big and delicate? The silver-haired boy reached out to retrieve the feather from the pond, finally unable to resist the pull of his curiosity, not to mention, attraction, for the object seemed to be calling out to him somehow. He could practically feel invisible hands pushing him and guiding his hands towards the mysterious black feather.

"…"

For the longest time, the lugubrious child sat by the pond, his liquid scarlet eyes focused on the fragile treasure sitting delicately on the palm of his small hand. He was mesmerized, enchanted, intrigued. Then a small smile gradually formed on his tiny pink lips which had grown accustomed to forming a straight line only, neither a smile nor a frown, just a plain expression of apathy and detachment. Yet now, this black feather somehow managed to make him smile.

"…"

Again, he continued to stare at it in silence, as though waiting for it to suddenly grow eyes and a mouth to finally converse with him, out of sheer desperation for any sort of company to interact with him. His silence also meant his inability to declare his newfound happiness verbally that he instead resorted to strain his eyes by staring fixedly at it. Or perhaps, the poor child has lost his ability to articulate words as he was unable to make use of his tongue in a conversation lately, being isolated from people most of the time. He was after all, unique, different, if not odd from the condemning and judgmental eyes of this society that people made sure to keep their distance from him. And that alone was enough for this silver-haired boy to accumulate loneliness and melancholy within him through the years of his existence in this cruel world.

When suddenly, a strong gust of wind took the precious object away from the child's small hands and within a second, the feather was gone as it was carried by the wind away, far up from his reach. He stood up and tried to run after it, not even looking at where his feet will land. His entire attention was focused to one object only as he was bent on retrieving his treasure, the feather of a black angel, the key to his freedom from this ridiculous curse.

Yet even nature seemed antagonistic to this innocent child as the feather was blown far and far away into the orange-hued skies. And as the silver-haired boy looked up, his pale face declaring his defeat and sorrow for losing his only treasure, he let himself sink to the ground, falling with a soft thud, courtesy of the mushy earth and the grass covering the ground.

"Gone…"

He finally managed to say, though it was almost in a whisper, barely audible, as he was unable to summon his energy to speak aloud whilst seeing the sun slowly withdrawing itself from the skies. And along with it, his hope was dissipating, flying along with the black feather.

--

He had always dreaded and detested the sunset, feared the arrival of the night and its heavy curtain of darkness consuming his surroundings. It was horrible for a helpless child like him to be left alone, more so in the dark. So that now, the whimpering silver-haired boy clutched the covers of his futon maddeningly, his eyes shut tight, willing for sleep to come and take him away.

And then he heard movements. He tensed, his body stopped shivering. He released his grip on the bedcovers, as his frightened eyes examined his room. But he was met with nothing, nothing but silence and darkness, as it had always been and will always be. Closing his eyes, he once again tried to invoke slumber, drowning out his thoughts and fears.

Tomorrow, he will find his treasure. He will hold it tightly this time with his tiny fingers and will not let it fly freely from his grasps.

Tomorrow.

--

For the first time in weeks, he was able to sleep peacefully, with the promise of tomorrow. Yes, ever since that day of receiving the strange bracelet with bells, the silver-haired kid suddenly felt more alone and isolated than ever. Some of the kids his age who were even kind enough to approach and befriend him before had disappeared and had since then avoided him like the plague. It sometimes led him to wonder if perhaps the bracelet itself was cursed. More than once he tried removing it, but little accidents seemed to transpire whenever his wrist was free from it. Therefore it left him no choice but to wear it and put up with its curse, or so he thought. Never had he deemed of it as a blessing, despite the protection it offers.

Today was another quiet and melancholic day, as usual. The gloomy boy sat by the pond waiting for his treasure to fall from the skies as it had forcefully taken his feather away from him yesterday, that the innocent child thought the skies would be polite enough to return to him now, the self-proclaimed owner. That is why he waited, patiently enduring the silence and boredom that he eventually felt sleepy, dizzy, and just plain…weak.

Finally surrendering to sleep, he lost control over his small body. He was completely unaware of the danger of himself falling down headfirst on the pond, his short slim hands motionless without the strength to support his body and prevent it from falling. And now, he was being dragged onto the waters, his face merely inches away from having contact with the cold, cold surface of water.

Something black flew towards the sleeping child's fragile form, quickly pulling him from danger, and this sudden movement awakened the clueless boy. He now stood, feet planted firmly on the grassy ground, hands hanging limply on both sides, and liquid scarlet eyes now opened wide in alarm. In his head, he was thinking what just happened and then his vision came into focus to the dark figure towering over him.

Upon fully observing the figure's distinct features, his eyes widened, recognition instantly filling his once wan face. Excited scarlet eyes immediately scanned the mysterious entity's garment, a long white silk robe supposedly worn by the legendary ogre-eating tengu. Scooting closer, the boy found himself fascinated by the beauty of its elaborate oriental designs which he recognized as flowers of different varieties. And with the silk fabric being shone incandescently against the bright glare of the sunlight, it further created a glow of some sort to this figure. While behind him…behind him! It was…

"Black wings…black feathers!"

From lackadaisical to excited, the silver-haired child now cried out in glee, as he stared with twinkling scarlet eyes brimming with hope at his savior. He almost jumped onto the taller man had he not noticed how contemptuous the other looked, or rather, how nonchalant, blank and emotionless his countenance is. The boy suddenly found an inexplicable comfort with this man. It was all too familiar, though he can't quite put a finger on it yet.

"…"

"…"

Neither spoke nor did they try to break intense eye contact, as their thoughts preoccupied them. The innocent child in particular, has plenty of questions in mind, but was still unable to speak as he was overcome by foreign sensations of happiness, glee and excitement. Something he was deprived of in the past so that now he tried enjoying the new and unfamiliar emotions. On the other hand, the taller man knew better. Of why he came here, he did know, but of how he did, he had absolutely no clue of. Perhaps it was the fear, the fear of losing someone important and very close to his heart that brought him to this time and place. Despite forbidding himself to form any kind of attachments to humans, he made an exception with this person in front of him now as he began to realize his growing need for the other.

"Nii-chan, what beautiful wings…Are you an angel? Sent to retrieve me from the land of the living? If you are, I welcome you to do so. I'd gladly go with you. You needn't force me. This place…It's so tiring here…Everyday is just the same…My loneliness and depression only grows larger with every minute. I am afraid…I feel frightened…I don't…I don't want to be alone anymore…"

Then the child gasped and a hand automatically flew to cover his mouth as though afraid he had somehow violated a rule. Yet in truth this only meant he himself was taken by surprise with the torrent of complaints that came out of his mouth without warning. He can't believe he was able to say that! It was almost tantamount to calling upon death…and asking for his existence to be terminated.

The taller man made no move to reply though, as he only did as much as to stare back at the panicking child, observing the latter's features. His silvery hair, his liquid scarlet eyes, his pale complexion, his slim body down to his small bare feet, not much has changed. He looked quite the same, just years younger, and a tad smaller, because this time, he is just a child, alone, fragile, delicate and even more vulnerable, especially with no one by his side.

"Nii-chan, will you please just stay here…and play with me? I've been waiting for you…I don't want to be alone anymore…Onegai nii-chan? Or if you want you can just take me away with you! Far away…from here…anywhere…I just want to be away from this…prison…" His voice trailed off, unsure if he was saying the right thing. He was after all, speaking directly from his heart without thinking it over, not to mention he was practically asking a complete stranger to take him away!

"Why?"

The silver-haired boy was startled. It was the first time he heard him speak. A total stranger, did he really not know this person? His voice, it gave him a feeling of ease and familiarity, something his heart will never fail to recognize, anytime, anywhere.

"Why?"

The taller man reiterated when he received no answer from the befuddled boy who was now struggling to remember the other's identity, his confusion evident on his childish face as a frown was formed, replacing his vigor from moments ago .

"Nii-chan, I've been waiting forever, yet I knew you would come, someday, I was certain of that. Of why I was, I don't know, but there is one thing I'm sure of…" And the boy lifted his head to stare directly and unfalteringly straight into the taller man's dark eyes as he said, "…You will never desert me, you will come for me. I know it."

For a moment there, the taller man almost forgot to breathe. The intensity of those eyes, now a flaming scarlet, unlike its usual languor, full of doubt, fear and hesitation but was now overflowing with trust, certainty and determination. This child…

"I know we'll meet again…Until then I'll wait for you…and you…will wait for me…ne nii-chan?" The child's serious and determined face now turned into a smiling one that the black-winged figure broke the trance he was in. Slowly, he returned the innocent child's smile with a half-smile of his own, warm and genuine.

"Yes, we will meet again…someday Kantarou…"

"Kantarou…Kantarou…Kantarou…"

His voice echoed throughout the garden as he slowly vanished along with the breeze which rustled the leaves and created small ripples on the pond's surface. And then he was gone, leaving the silver-haired boy alone, yet again.

--

Today was a different day. He inexplicably felt restored of life, vibrant compared to old days of boredom, solitude and melancholy. The hole of emptiness and loss of direction in life seemed to miraculously vanish to be replaced by eagerness and the will to live, to be able to see him again. Yes, he will wait for that said day that he will no longer be alone.

He sat upright on his futon as he unconsciously rubbed his eyes sleepily, his body felt tired yet his spirit was full of energy, with that encounter yesterday, one that empowered his heart to go on beating and for his mind to wake up from its slumber.

"Black feathers…" He suddenly found himself whispering upon hearing the flapping of wings from the outside of his room's screen door.

"Nii-chan!"

He cried out excitedly, jumping to his feet and sliding the door open, he ran outside, not minding the cold, his footsteps light yet loud as his tiny feet came into furious contact with the wooden floor. Once he reached the garden, a horrible sight immediately drained him of all the vigor and enthusiasm he had had upon waking up that morning.

"Nii…chan?"

His face has lost its color, making him look paler than he already was and he felt his knees gave way as he allowed himself to gently sink on the ground, hands clutching grass tightly that his knuckles went white.

"Wh-What happened to you?"

The dark figure was drenched in red liquid from head to toe, his silky garment which was once white, now turned blood red, soaked and tainted. His gentle face, delicate and peaceful, was now the epitome of violence and monstrosity. Sharp fangs sprouted from his human teeth and long claws replaced his cleanly cut fingernails. In the eyes of the silver-haired boy, the taller man was once his savior, but now, there can be no telling of what he had become.

The child backed away instinctively as the dark figure reached out for his chest, attempting to rip him with the other's claws yet only succeeded in damaging the front of the boy's clothes. This further rendered him weak that he became paralyzed with fear. Right this moment, he is confused, unable to decide of what to do.

Run! His mind screamed.

Stay! His heart countered.

This is what he had been wishing for after all, to end his boredom, his sorrow, his solitude, his melancholy. Nobody would care if he disappear from this world anyway. Closing his eyes, as though accepting his doomed fate, he remained unmoving as razor-sharp claws slashed once again at him, this time, succeeding with its intention.

--

No pain, he felt no pain at all. Was it perhaps because he is already dead? But then he noticed he was moving, though his feet can't touch any concrete grounds. And then he heard it, wings flapping, the rush of winds, the cold breeze caressing his cheeks, his hair being blown gently.

Yes, he was flying.

"It was me…It was me all along…I did it…I was the one who hurt you…Your scar…It was my own doing…I'm…sorry…"

The silver-haired boy's eyes flung open, as he felt the voice sending vibrations down his body with his proximity with the speaker. His black-winged angel, he had saved him, yet why did he sound regretful and guilty about it?

"N-Nii-chan?..." The boy asked in a small voice, still weakened by the wounds he had received on his chest, which was now continuing to bleed. "Nii-chan, it's alright. It's not your fault. I was the one who wished for it. It was me, not you." He softly reassured the other, though the tone in which he said it made him sound unsure and intimidated of the other.

"Your scar…"

"It's alright, I feel no pain. So it's fine I'm—"

"No you're not. You keep on saying you are but I know you're not!"

The boy cringed, as he heard the taller man's sharp outburst, which was rather unexpected. What now? Had he made the other mad? Did he say anything wrong to infuriate the other like this?

"I…I wouldn't ever want to hurt you in any way Kantarou…"

"Kantarou…!"

Once again, the taller man's last words reverberated through his ears, as his liquid scarlet eyes widened in shock and recognition that he unconsciously murmured. "Haru…ka?"

--

"Haruka…!"

The silver-haired folklorist abruptly sat upright, panting and coughing, clutching his chest, he momentarily forgot the stab wound on his back that he managed to ignore its pain long enough to ask for Haruka, though there was no one there by his side to answer his desperate and frantic demands.

"Haruka! Where is he?"

It was not long before the numbness in his body gave way for pain with his open wound that he bit his lower lip and curled on his knees in the hopes of easing the pain. However, it did little to lessen his agony as it further settled in, saturating his senses.

"Kantarou!" A voice from a distance shouted, evidently grateful that the silver-haired lad was, to say the least, still alive though injured quite badly. However it was immediately followed by a groan as the black-winged tengu momentarily got distracted thereby losing sight of his opponent, which the other took as an opportunity to strike.

"Don't you dare turn your eyes away from me, you filthy crap! In battle, losing your focus meant losing your life! Now die!"

Turning around sharply to face his opponent, the last thing Haruka saw was the lethal edge of a long spear speeding towards him, aiming to land a finishing blow on his forehead. Dark eyes wide, the ogre-eating tengu tried his best to maneuver and avoid the throw, yet to no avail…

--

_'Haruka!!!'_ Kantarou opened his mouth attempting to scream for the ogre-eating tengu's name, however, his voice had failed him.

_'Haruka…'_ His heart beat slowed and with difficulty he tried his hardest to continue breathing, living, staying awake, eyes open to see every action and not miss a thing. 'Haru…ka…' He can't and will not bear to see Haruka on the brink of death. He will not allow that, because Haruka is…

_'…'_

Kantarou fell back on the ground, breathing with difficulty as he gained more and more blood loss. His fist tightened as he desperately fought for life since he felt himself rapidly slipping away, his heart beating slower…and slower…and slower…his vision growing obscured, his body going numb that he can't feel any physical pain anymore.

And then a sound of flesh being pierced by a sharp-edged weapon, blood gushing out freely, then a loud thud, a lifeless body fell limply on the ground.

"Haruka!!!"

--

**A.N:** _Evil grin, looks like our main characters are taking their turns momentarily dying, eh? It's just fun to torture them both like this. Don't worry minna-san, I'll make it up to you readers and to them both in the end, I'll make it sweeter than sugar that colonies of ants will not resist the smell of bunching around them. So stay tuned! 3 more chapters and Innocent White will be done! Be warned though, for the next 2 chapters will be quite dramatic and…say, thick? Thick with what, you ask? Read on to find out! Here's the preview! Revelations to follow!_

**Chapter 13: Mirage**

"Leave."

The silver-haired lad said in a velvety voice, but commanding with such authority and authenticity that Haruka stepped back, overcome by pain, pain from those cold and emotionless eyes, pain from that aura of indifference and abandonment and that one single word so strongly spoken, confident and without any tinge of regret and uncertainty.

"I've found a replacement to fill in for you. So now, I'm giving you what you want. Your freedom, it's all yours. Enjoy…"

With a mean smirk intending to sprinkle salt to the other's raw wound, Kantarou turned and retreated to his room, the sound of his socked feet against the wooden floor slowly fading away as it was then accompanied by another pair of feet, its owner unknown to Haruka.

Replacement.

Haruka was…replaced…


	13. Mirage

**A/N: **_Thank you to the following people:** digifreak51794,avalongrand,sakurabear23** And to the latest reviews from: **Youkai Of Hearts ,Lil-Miaka ,iLoli ,aka-chan.** Please continue to support me. To all the readers of this story, make your presence known, tell me what you think, I will be glad to hear them out. Though I update very late, please bear with me. _=3

**Chapter 13: "Mirage"**

Cold.

Drip.

A sound of a droplet of water hitting a larger body of water invaded his ears that it shattered the silence he had grown quite accustomed to. His eyes remained closed, somewhat hesitating whether to open them or not, for fear of what dreadful sight he might be met with, and then he heard it. A cold voice, though soft and melodious, belonging to that of a male's, and he was being called by that stranger.

"...Are you awake now? Do you remember everything now?" The voice eagerly inquired. He then felt the person's body near him as the other examined his face closely. "Open your eyes. Tell me. Did you have a pleasant dream? Did your memories come back? Do you…remember everything now?" The voice pressed on, apparently not afraid of infuriating the other by venturing to repeat his question which perhaps indicates their closeness.

Closeness.

_'Who are you? I can't seem to recognize that voice...I don't know you...Stay away.'_

Unable to fight off his curiosity any longer, he opened his dark eyes only to be met by a pair of intense scarlet orbs blinking back at him. "Haruka? What's wrong? You look pale! Did you have a bad dream?"

He tried to back away from the silver-haired lad whose face was merely centimeters away from him but found that he can't. As he looked around him, he found himself lying on the roof of the Ichinomiya residence. His usual hangout. His sanctuary. The roof. But then that voice, its owner seemed nowhere to be found.

"Haruka?"

Upon hearing the folklorist's voice laced with worry and confusion, Haruka tensed then realized that this wasn't the same voice from a while ago. Maybe he's still dreaming at that time? Because the black-winged tengu can be sure that voice is entirely different from Kantarou's.

"Haruka! What's up with you? Are you alright? Can you hear me?" Kantarou meanwhile, began to be impatient, though in his face, anxiety was written all over it, which prompted the taller man to respond.

"I'm fine Kantarou, just a little tired."

"Tired? Well that's just too bad. I am sad to inform you though that there's no room for exhaustion. I actually came up here looking for you since I was hoping you could accompany me in that old burnt out temple up in the mountains. We have an unfinished business there." Kantarou stopped as he tried to observe how the other would react, seeing as how memorable that said place was. But as expected, Haruka's face remained stony, impassive. "Well, we'd better get ourselves ready. I was told that a powerful demon is wrecking havoc in there. And since it was described as powerful, I'm guessing I'll be needing your help in exorcising it." Without any further elaboration, Kantarou began climbing the ladder down, leaving the tengu no choice but to follow.

"Powerful demon huh." He murmured to himself as he stared at his hands.

--

"What is your innermost wish? Tell me and I shall grant it."

"Ridiculous. You are a demon and as such, why should I believe your words? I know you're only going to deceive me in the end."

"I only ask of you to free me and then you shall be granted a wish, any wish at all, anything that you desire, be it material or not. And in your case, I can tell it's something intangible, is it not?"

"Shut up! I won't listen to you! I-"

"Why? Why won't you grab this opportunity? You might regret it in the end, being unable to do anything at all when in fact, you could've prevented it. Think about it, think wisely."

"I am being wise by not listening to you! Now stand back and don't move! I'm going to start sealing you! Don't attempt to fight, you'll only hurt yourself."

"Seal? Are you sure you're capable of sealing someone as strong as me? Absurd!"

"Right, that's what you think! You'll regret ever belittling me!"

"No, you're the one who's going to regret underestimating me. How pathetic. I feel sorry for you. That's why I'm going to give you another chance, a last chance that is."

"W-What do you mean?"

"You probably know by now that I got the upper hand here. And yet here I am being kind and generous to some worthless weakling like you. But you see, this is one way of how I show my gratitude."

"Gratitude? What are you—"

"It was because of that event that I became unsealed. That fire, it wasn't directly you that destroyed the seal though, however, studying your little group made me come to a realization. I have seen the conflict within and I somehow became interested to play a game with all of you, which would be a nice exercise after hundreds of years spent in slumber, don't you think so too?"

"But I—"

"I'm not done talking yet, don't you dare interrupt! So, as I was saying, I was able to see through your heart, that I now know what it is you want to happen and believe me, I completely agree with you. I understand you only care about those pitiful humans' welfare, don't you?

"I—I guess you could say that, but what do you plan then? How will you …How will you grant my wish?"

"Oh I can see you want no harm to befall on either of them…"

"Yes, that's right! There is no need for violence, so don't hurt them, just…just…"

"You're hesitating, can you be any more weaker? Fine if that is what you wish, then that is what I'll do."

"So you promise? Can you vow to me not to hurt either of them?"

"Yes I do. I won't hurt them. Not with my own hands, rest assured."

--

"Nii-chan, this isn't what I want."

Droplets of tears fell on the pond's surface, creating delicate dripping sounds. That voice. It was him, again. But this time, he was inexplicably younger. Once again, Haruka was forced to open his dark eyes and as he did so, his gaze fell upon a lone figure of a small child sitting by the pond, sobbing silently. For some reason, Haruka felt compelled to approach the boy and comfort him. "Nii-chan…" He froze, as his breath was caught in his lungs. Only one person calls him in such manner. And that person isn't the same as this boy sitting by the same pond right now. This boy has coffee-brown hair and fair complexion. His eyes? Haruka can't see its hue clearly since the boy's head was lowered, staring intently at the pond, as though waiting for his 'nii-chan' to emerge from the pond's dark waters.

"Nii-chan…" The child groaned again, his tone almost coaxing him to come nearer. "Why…Why does he treat me this way? Am I…not important to him at all? Doesn't he…doesn't he value me?"

The sound of wind chimes, of tiny bells clanging and of a breeze howling filled Haruka's sensitive ears while he struggled to think of whom the boy was talking about, yet try as he might, it was to no avail. He can't seem to remember anything. "Nii-chan, I'm lonely…and I'm scared…He might one day just throw me away for being useless…to seal me into some big stone and then, I won't be able to stay by his side anymore…" Finally, the child lifted his head sluggishly, then his forest green eyes immediately captured Haruka's dark ones.

"I don't want to be…alone anymore…alone anymore…alone anymore…"

"Haruka!!!"

'Kantarou!'

Haruka's eyes instantly flew open, wide with panic as he scanned for the source of voice amidst the sudden explosion within the old burnt out temple which further wrecked the structure. Just in time for him to see Kantarou lying on the ground helplessly, his foot appeared to be caught under a huge stone debris. Above him, the ceiling threatened to collapse and crush him.

"Kantarou!"

'_I'm coming'_ He thought as he flew towards his master. In a flash, he was by Kantarou's side, removing the large and heavy stone. Then without speaking, Haruka gathered his injured master in his arms swiftly, then flew to safety, a few feet away from the crumbling temple. Once they were able to land properly, the two watched in stunned silence as the temple gave way, disintegrating onto the ground.

As the commotion gradually subsided, Haruka looked down on his master in his arms, quickly examining for injuries. He found nothing life-threatening though, just some minor cuts and bruises, and a swollen foot, no broken bones fortunately. Kantarou on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying his position as he feigned weakness by clutching on the tengu's chest and shutting his eyes tight, claiming he was dizzy. Surprisingly, the black-winged tengu didn't seem spiteful towards the issue of body contact right this moment as he managed to endure keeping Kantarou clinging to him like a leech for more than a minute. He, for some reason, lasted longer than was expected, and Kantarou was thankful for this exception.

_'Yes, just this once, let me hold on to you Haruka. For we might never get the chance to do so someday…' _Kantarou thought with bitter sadness as a small surreptitious smile of glee ironically crept upon his face, betraying his concealed loneliness. Even so, moments like this doesn't last long, sad to say.

"Kantarou, what happened back there? Did you have an encounter with the demon?"

The folklorist didn't answer right away as he momentarily felt disappointed with the interruption. "Oh that, yes I think I did. I wasn't able to see it clearly since it moves fast and swift and the next thing I know, the temple was collapsing while I was inside. And the thing just vanished." Kantarou explained, fighting the crimson heat stubbornly invading his cheeks as he became aware of Haruka's full attention directed at him. Awkward.

_'Say something more! Anything to avoid lapsing into one icy silence!'_ The silver-haired lad thought as he frantically tried to come up with anything to say. "H-Haruka! T-Thank you…" He finally blurted out while the other only looked back at him with a perplexed expression on his face.

"Thank you?" He repeated.

"Yes! Thank you! For-for saving my life for who-knows- how many times. I knew you would…and I'm happy you did…because I'm sure you are…and I knew you were…but then before I don't…but now I do…and so you did! Though at first I won't…eventually I did! And I—"

Haruka sighed in resignation as he closed his eyes trying to prevent his head from aching. Here goes Kantarou again and his weird babbling. Haruka doesn't have a single clue of what the other was talking about, or of what he wish to deliver with those jumbled words!

"Humans…" He muttered to himself as he roughly set Kantarou back on his feet, no longer buying his pretense of dizziness.

"Haruka! How mean of you! Wait up! Twisted foot here—can't walk—swollen and broken—Haruka! Seriously it hurts! I can't walk, wait! " Kantarou continued to hop on one foot to show his injury while the other merely turned his back on him and proceeded forward. With tearful big puppy eyes and trembling pouty lips, the sulking folklorist followed Haruka, still whining and ranting about.

"Ne Haruka, a little carrying won't kill you. I'm just as light as a feather! Come on! I hate to remind you that I'm your master, by the way."

"Kantarou, you and your endless rotten tactics…" Haruka mumbled more to himself while shaking his head, not looking back lest he be tempted to surrender to his conscience and be deceived by the master of all drama and not folklore who is none other than Ichinomiya Kantarou himself.

Yet somehow, Haruka's feet slowed down on its own, letting Kantarou to catch up with his pace.

--

It was unusually silent. Something is definitely amiss. The Ichinomiya residence is an epitome of chaotic mirth and joviality, especially with the presence of Kantarou and of him constantly in a fight with Sugino over Muu-chan. It never fails to entertain the audience, add Hasumi in the picture fighting with his rival Kantarou over petty matters and the house would be even more alive and loud. However now seemed different, the place was unbelievably quiet. From the outside, Haruka can feel something eerie within that house. Whatever it is, the black-winged tengu intends to find out, that he entered the place without a minute's hesitation. Once inside, he was instantly welcomed by a cold sensation of abandonment. He inexplicably felt as if intruding, forcefully gaining entrance into a place wherein he wasn't welcomed at all. It was indeed odd. Since when did a person become unaccepted in his very own home? Not unless he was evicted, something he doubts the owner of the Ichinomiya residence can do.

The sound of someone clearing his throat cut through Haruka's thoughts. As he lifted his eyes from the ever-so-familiar pond, it came to rest on two cold scarlet orbs, its gaze detached and devoid of emotions. Blank, glassy, bottomless. Like it belonged to a ghost.

"Leave."

The silver-haired lad said in a velvety voice, but commanding with such authority and certainty that Haruka was forced to step back, overcome by pain and confusion. Pain from those cold and condemning eyes, pain from that aura of estrangement and that one single word so strongly spoken, confident and without any tinge of regret or uncertainty, or even any hint that it might have been forced somehow.

There can only be one explanation for this: He was cast away by his very own master.

Something Haruka failed to see, believing it won't ever have a chance of happening. _'_

_Kantarou would never…push me away…he wouldn't, of all people…'_ He swallowed hard, then clenched his fist tight._ 'Or won't he really?' _He now thought with disdain as he somehow felt angry…hurt…and most of all…betrayed.

"I've found a replacement to fill in for you. So now, I'm giving you what you want. Your freedom, it's all yours. Enjoy." With a mean smirk, Kantarou turned and retreated to his room, the sound of his socked feet against the wooden floor slowly fading away, until it was shadowed by another pair of feet.

Replacement. Haruka was replaced? Unacceptable. Unforgivable. But most of all, it was unbelievable, unbelievable that Haruka felt this much pain with the way he was treated. How come? Shouldn't he be happy? He regained his freedom now for crying out loud! His memories…his power…his very own self. He will have them all back! Nobody owns him anymore! And he owes no one at last! That alone is worth rejoicing for, isn't it?

"Nii-chan, I don't want to be alone anymore…"

Haruka stiffened. That voice. It was the coffee-brown-haired boy's! Turning slowly in the direction of the pond, he once again saw the fragile form of the green-eyed child, and he was saying the same thing over and over again, like an old broken record.

'_No one wants to be alone after all…Perhaps…' _He thought, slightly befuddled by his very own statement as he stared at the child. "Who are you? Why do you keep on showing yourself to me?" With that, the brown-haired boy smiled, or more like, sneered. And it felt creepy, of how easily his expression of fear turned to that of a diabolical sneer, as though his emotions were rehearsed beforehand.

"Who am I? Should you really ask that, nii-chan? Focus harder and you'll find the answer yourself. You know me, just as much as I know you. Because…we're the same."

"The same? As far as I can see, we have no similarities at all."

"Oh but we do nii-chan."

The black-winged tengu was anything but enlightened with that statement as his brow furrowed, slowly losing his patience and further being submerged in a pool of confusion.

"You see…I am you…and you are me…"

With a contorted expression on his face, the boy stood up and turned to Haruka while laughing crazily. Then suddenly without warning, Haruka felt invisible strong hands squeezing his throat, cutting off his air supply. He struggled to break free, but the invisible attacker held firm. Seconds later Haruka's body grew still, his head drooped, his eyes closed, his hands motionless at his sides as he allowed himself to be consumed by darkness.

--

"Haruka! Haruka wake up please! Open your eyes…Haruka…"

With tears on his somnolent scarlet eyes and a heart madly beating as if it would burst right out of his chest, Kantarou continued to shake the black-winged tengu roughly. Kantarou's hands were soaked with blood, his cheeks hot and wet with tears, his back wound still stung though he never once paid it any attention since the pain he's feeling now is nothing compared to the pain of possibly losing Haruka, and it has engulfed all of his senses wholly leaving no room for being prone to physical pain.

"Haruka!" Kantarou shouted, nearly on the verge of hysterics when it struck him of how useless he had become. Here he was clutching the most important person in his life, grieving and weeping like there's no tomorrow, unmindful of the current danger they're in when he should be thinking of a way for survival, of preserving the safety of the people he cares for. He might be forgetting, Haruka isn't the only one in danger here, all the others are as well, and they are all counting on Kantarou, their master, to save them somehow.

They still have a chance, if he can only pull himself together again.

Suddenly, a surge of hope like a newborn flame seemed to spring into life within him at the thought of losing Haruka. Intolerable. Kantarou will find a way to save Haruka even if it cost him his very own life! But just as he was about to confront their enemy, a child's voice intervened. Rosalie's voice to be precise.

"That's as far as you go…"

Kantarou whirled around towards the newcomer's direction. 'Rosalie, what's she doing here?' And that was when he saw it. It wasn't Rosalie at all. It was—

"Time to return from whence you came…"

--

**Up Next! Chapter 14: "Unrequited"**

"Why won't you just tell him directly that you were only trying to protect him by not being close to him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"And lastly, why can't you just admit the fact that I got all those right? I possess the Sight anyway so there is no way I can be wrong."

"The Sight?"

"Straying away from the topic again. So, let's get personal, shall we? I'd like to ask you one more thing."

"What is it?"

"Do you…love him?"

"Come again?"

--

**_3 more to go. :-)_**


	14. Unrequited

**A/N:**_ Woah it's been 2 years since I've posted anything at all. o_o Regardless, please leave reviews. =) I thank you all in advance, minna-san. _

**Note**: With a male spirit taking over Rosalie's body, she will then be temporarily considered male and thus will be referred to as a 'he'.

**Disclaimer: I don't own Tactics. **

**Chapter 14: Unrequited**

"The game ends here, it's over. Now it's time for me to return you from whence you came, from the place you truly belong."

Kantarou's scarlet eyes slowly widened in comprehension as it hit him. At the moment, a spirit is in possession of Rosalie's body, their enemy's master's spirit, to be precise. No wonder Rosalie's actions were a bit odd these days, and her frequent disappearance must mean she's trying to avoid direct encounter with that woman so as not to be captured. And now, her timing couldn't have been any better. Or was she already too late? Kantarou glanced down on the still unconscious tengu in his arms, trying to find any sign of progress. But it seemed as though Haruka won't be waking up any time soon.

The woman's insane laughter caught Kantarou's attention immediately as the folklorist was forced to keep a close eye on the enemy. It will still be advisable for him to remain on his guard. Rosalie's arrival doesn't necessarily mean they're already out of danger. For all he knows the crazy woman might even be triggered to become loose and violent what with that obvious rage and hatred surfacing on her cold amber orbs, especially upon setting its sight on Rosalie. Yes, she could be quite unpredictable. What with being mentally unstable and demented, by the looks of it?

"Showed yourself at last old man! Just in time for you to witness as I finish off those loathsome weaklings over there. See how they are now cowering in fear? See how bloody their bodies are? I'm not stopping there, I'll even continue to hit them, strike without any reservations, slash them without holding back, slice their filthy bodies and rip their internal organs out, I'll tear them apart, break their bones, pulverize their skulls, I'll inflict unimaginable pain in them—"

"You loved me, didn't you? I failed to see that very obvious detail. You've loved me from the very first time you've opened your eyes. I'm your creator. It was quite foolish of me to be that oblivious of your feelings. And for that I want to say I'm—"

"Save it old man! Your apology is a century late. What makes you think I'll listen to you? But since you went all the way from your resting place just to see me, I think it will be quite impolite and ungrateful of me not to entertain you, my honorable guest."

_Old man…Creator…Century…This woman here…_

"I created you in the hopes of making the world a better place." Rosalie lowered her gaze, unable to stare at the monster his creation had transformed into, while shame and regret filled his tone. "I gave you power, strength, intelligence beyond your fellow creatures, molding you into a leader that I want you to be so that someday you may take my place and I would be resting peacefully without any fear for the world I had left behind is in good hands."

Kantarou gently positioned Haruka down beside him, the tengu's head resting on the folklorist's lap, so that his hands are now free, free to create a barrier and do his spells.

"I offered you freedom, and a good life." Rosalie continued. "Yes, all I wanted was for you to have a taste of a meaningful existence, to be free to do as you wish, for you to have no chains to restrain you, I want you to use your abilities to help those who are oppressed, endangered, unprotected ,threatened. I showed you nothing but kindness, and I made sure to orient you with nothing but proper conduct and instill values within you to lead you in the right path."

Kantarou closed his eyes as he joined his hands together, fingers entwined in prayer as he quietly mumbled Buddhist incantations. Below him, Haruka stirred a little.

"And now, now I found you doing something I taught you as the most forbidden thing to do! All those years of training, of staying under my home, of living along side me, what have you become, my dove? So white, pure, untainted and untouched, now so black, polluted, stained and invaded by evil itself! The very enemy which we have sworn to defeat back when I was still living, back when you were still with me…"

Haruka's eyes gradually opened, though his vision was still blurred and unfocused, his mind completely blank and disoriented, as was caused by the bleeding wound he had received from the vicious, bloodthirsty woman. Kantarou meanwhile, remained chanting, concentrating hard. There can be no room for failure. Even the slightest mistake can cause them their life.

"What has happened to you? Why didn't you fight it? Why did you surrender so easily?"

Finally, the other made a move to speak, cutting Rosalie's dramatic speech. With a look of pure boredom on her face, a look that says 'Your words are meaningless to me now', the woman slowly walked towards Rosalie, her steps careful and calculated, her hips swinging lavishly as if trying to sway her master's resolve. And with each step she makes, Rosalie prepared himself for what was to come. He can't afford to injure this body of which was only borrowed. Therefore he had to be extremely attentive and precautious.

"Master," she began in a mocking tone of admiration and respect. "Truly, I didn't see this coming. You showing yourself in the open like this and risking to be harmed, that's very brave of you indeed. But if you think your mere presence can shake me, then you're most definitely wrong. I have long discarded my feelings for you, or for anything else, for that matter. I have rid myself of a heart which I found useless and irrelevant to a powerful being such as myself. And now I think it's time I share my new found discovery with you, master. Let me do the honor of ripping your heart out so that you may truly understand my words." With a devilish glint in her amber eyes, she sped up her pace towards her master, weapon ready at hand. However, as she swung her weapon down, it was met by a loud clang instead of the anticipated sound of steel piercing flesh and of blood gushing out, squirting like the sound of liquid bursting out of a water balloon once pricked by something sharp. And of course, the woman was most disappointed to find out that it was Kantarou who conjured up a barrier just in time to protect Rosalie from possible attacks. But then instead of showing her frustration outright, a heinous smile formed upon her lips instead.

"Well well, I must commend you of how fast you recover, Ichinomiya-sensei. I expected less of you, but even so I wouldn't take my chances of miscalculating you."

Kantarou had no time to react as a dozen muddy figures taking the form of humans emerged from the ground, and they were all approaching the still immobilized folklorist due to his injuries, not to mention another injured companion who's currently taking residence on his lap, still weak and barely conscious at all, which further prevented Kantarou from moving.

_'Haruka!'_

Instincts took over Kantarou as he shielded Haruka from harm, preparing to feel the familiar hot and searing sensation of something sharp being stabbed in his body, but surprisingly, none came.

_'What?'_

Opening one eye as if afraid to see what had happened, a familiar deep voice rendered him motionless. "Are you alright Kantarou? You look surprised. Well isn't that a bit insulting. You should have known that a wound that small couldn't possibly kill me, you needn't worry. Now get up and make yourself useful. Leave this to me. Hurry and free Youko and the others! Time is of the essence! That barrier can only hold for a few minutes and once it wears off, it will leave Rosalie defenseless. There's just no telling what that mad woman might do on a whim."

Haruka was only met with silence and then Kantarou's scarlet eyes brimmed with tears, tears that threatened to overflow, along with his feelings of relief and happiness at the sight of Haruka standing confidently like that. Just like his usual self, always trying to protect him and everyone else from harm, to the best of his abilities.

_'Haruka...'_ Kantarou thought, and that was all, Haruka need not say more, the folklorist was already on his feet in an instant. "I understand, please be careful. I'll definitely bring them back, and you'd better be alright by then Haruka. Promise me." With that statement, Kantarou almost can't bring himself to leave Haruka alone to deal with the woman and her minions, but the sharp look that the tengu had on his face pushed Kantarou's fears aside that he understood the unspoken promise, a promise that will never be broken, because it is no ordinary promise at all. It a promise made between two people sharing a special, mutual bond. A bond developed through time. Nodding, Kantarou then took off towards the old, ruined temple which was practically burnt to a crisp, hoping to find his other friends.

A loud thud resounded as Kantarou sank on the floor watching Haruka's flying figure become tinier and tinier in the orange-hued skies. It was dusk, sunset, and even in his age now, he still can't bring himself to forget his strange disliking for the coming of the night. And it was only magnified tenfold now that he's had a terrible fight with Haruka.

Haruka, why did he react strongly like that? Yes, the black-winged tengu was known to possess little next to no amount of patience and that he's prone to get annoyed fast compared to Youko, or even Sugino but a while ago, Kantarou was taken by surprise.

Haruka's rice bowl, it all started with that very trivial subject. It was just one of those days that Kantarou felt bored, extremely bored to the point of wanting to play a prank on someone and that someone just so happened to be Haruka of all people. Why always pick the temperamental one anyway? Perhaps because watching them struggle to get even seemed fun, on the naughty folklorist's part. But he forgot one tiny but very significant detail. Haruka always takes things seriously. He was never the type to joke around. Never. Now Kantarou must face the consequences of his impulsive actions, be it good or bad, and in this case, it was bad.

"Youko-chan, I'll be back later. But don't wait for me, okay? Oh and in case Haruka returns home, please give back his rice bowl. It's on my desk, in my room. Please be careful with it."

From the kitchen, Kantarou heard Youko's faint reply of a yes, followed by a series of sermons scolding him for improper behavior towards Haruka and of stealing something precious from the said person and of how mean Kantarou is for pulling such a prank blah blah blah…It's just endless. But since it wasn't exactly Kantarou's style to walk out on someone so impolitely, he just cleared his throat and made a dash for the door, quickly saying his goodbye and shutting the door before Youko could even have the chance to reply.

The lake.

Haruka isn't the type to roam around the town by himself, or more like, he isn't the type to wander around from place to place. Haruka prefers to stay in one place. He particularly favors visiting the mountains, either Sugino's or the shrine containing the large rock wherein he was once sealed. Those are the only possible locations you could find Haruka at. But now is an exception. The lake, as Haruka passed by it from above, he couldn't help but notice with its extravagance, the way the surface sparkles and glistens, its color taking that of the orange-hued skies and the image of the sun setting, reflecting on the water's smooth surface, as if the sun was sinking onto the lake itself. It was such an exquisite view that Haruka was unable to resist its pull. It even seemed to dissipate the anger he felt earlier with what his mischievous master has done. The lake was just magical that Haruka decided to spend some time staring at it for now. Perhaps, even stay there until the night comes, just to see how it would radiate its beauty without the sun's light, and of what the combination of darkness and moonlight can do to enhance the lake's mystique even more.

There was the sound of a twig snapping, and then something on the other side of the bushes moved, Haruka immediately regained seriousness, eyes trained on the spot from where he detected movements, as if waiting for something to come out. And come out it did. Only it was not a something, but a someone. At first, Haruka thought it was a female, due to the person's long silky black hair let loose on his back but was gently flowing as a breeze drifted by to blow on it. As soon as the figure stepped nearer, Haruka was able to see clearly that the person was actually a male, having almost the same features as that of Kantarou's, though the latter was paler, no doubt about it. Sometimes it even led Haruka to wonder if there's a single person alive in this world to compare to Kantarou's incredibly and ridiculously pale skin, but up to now, his question remained unanswered. Kantarou, why must his thoughts always drift back to that reckless and manipulative guy? That question will also be left unanswered for now though. Not until Haruka decides to be honest with himself and be brave enough to explore his newfound feelings.

He smiled absent-mindedly, the stranger smiled attentively as he continued to observe Haruka so deeply engrossed with his thoughts. From this point of view, he could clearly sense the other man was confused, utterly confused. He didn't even notice the stranger smiling up at him in an odd way.

"What is it that's bothering you? Please, do tell." The stranger's velvety voice soon reached Haruka's ears that he was reminded of another presence with him and it prompted him to resume his guard. "Pardon?" This response earned him a melodious laugh from the stranger who now took the liberty to sit down by the lake and join Haruka with his sight-seeing. He seemed comfortable enough and not the least bit intimidated by the black-winged tengu's aura of indifference, not to mention unfriendliness.

"As expected, 'who am I anyway', is what you're probably thinking right now. But believe me I'm not trying to invade your privacy at all. I just thought, though this might sound a little peculiar, that we share the same problem. I just have a feeling we do, or something like that."

Haruka felt at peace, though he doesn't know why, he just knew this person sitting next to him is not planning to harm him in any way. Normally, he doesn't allow conversation with a stranger. But once again, maybe he can make an exception just this once.

"Have you ever felt scared for someone?" The stranger, who made no further attempt of introducing himself, began, disregarding the fact that Haruka was a little unresponsive. And the fact that it was only the first time they met. He didn't even stop to consider if perhaps he was being a bit too forward or imposing to the other uninterested person.

"What do you mean?" But curiosity got the better of the taciturn tengu. What's so bad about having a harmless conversation with a stranger anyway. So long as you don't reveal personal information, it would be just fine. This is a big world. They can just go and talk about their deepest darkest secrets, then leave and there can be no assurance of a second meeting at all. No attachments. No commitments. Nothing to worry about.

"Like when you strongly care for one person, but you choose not to candidly show it, because you want that person to be free. Free yet also safe that you always see to it to protect that person, even from a distance. Well, have you?"

"I don't recall having such an experience. I'm sorry." Haruka almost want to tell the stranger that he picked the wrong person to chat with, but somehow, something was telling him to stay put and to give this stranger a chance.

"Well, I do and for that, I can tell you do as well. Only you're trying to deny it."

"Absurd."

"But it's true! I told you we have something in common, I'm certain."

Haruka blinked. "Ridiculous."

"Then why…" The other pressed on, not minding the signs of annoyance Haruka was candidly displaying. The stranger just can't take a hint!

"Why what?"

"Why are you here?"

"Here?"

"What have you come here for?"

"…" Haruka is growing tired with the other's persistence.

"I simply won't believe you if your reason is just to have a pleasant view."

"Space." Haruka practically whispered, forced to say anything, anything to make the guy shut his trap and be done with it.

"Space? Are you trying to run away from someone?" But obviously, he's not that easy to shake off.

_'I swear this guy could be Kantarou in disguise, or some shape-shifting youkai he sent to interrogate me.'_

With an eye brow raised, Haruka calmly replied. "Run away? That was never my style. It's the cowards' way of dealing with things."

"And you're saying you're not a coward?"

Haruka glared before retorting an "Of course a coward I am anything but!"

"You're lying."

Haruka's temper flared this time that he can't help but raise his voice in extreme annoyance. "I am not. You are!"

"I speak only the truth. I see no point in lying."

"But you're being vague and elusive, with the way you're answering my questions."

"Perhaps so, I tend to beat around the bush sometimes or speak vaguely without being particular with the details. But that's because it's for the greater good."

"For the greater good huh…" 'What is he, a preacher now?'

"Now you're the one being elusive I'm afraid."

"Not really. I just refuse to be the subject of every conversation. I find it very irksome."

"So you're not fond of being in the spotlight, aren't you? And you also dislike having to answer questions."

"Why do you say so?"

"Why didn't you just stay and try talking it out instead of 'flying' away?"

Haruka's eyes instantly grew wide, for a moment there, believing his suspicion that this is Kantarou in disguise. "What? How did you—"

"Why don't you just tell him directly that you were only trying to protect him by not being close to him?"

"What are you talking about?"

"And lastly, why can't you just admit the fact that I got all those right? I possess the Sight anyway, so there is no way I could be wrong."

"The Sight?" Now Haruka is lost, truly lost.

"Straying away from the topic again. So let's get personal, shall we? I'd like to ask you one more thing before I go."

Finally. "What is it?"

"Do you love him?"

"Come again?" was Haruka's quick response.

**Chapter 15 Preview:**

Amidst the coffee-haired boy's speech, Kantarou gradually felt depression and self-loathing overwhelm him. A sense of hopelessness began to descend upon him that he could only do as much as to hear the other's words and not to listen on them.

"Haruka…" He whispered as he allowed himself to slide in a sitting position, hands grasping his temples as he buried his face on his bent up knees.

Meanwhile, from somewhere, Haruka heard Kantarou's plea for help.

'Somebody is…calling me…'


End file.
